Blood's Thicker Than Water
by citigirl13
Summary: When Tari's mother dies, she has to live with her father - Damon Salvatore.  How will the two of them cope, considering she is exactly like him?  Was her mother's death really an accident?  And why does it feel Damon is keeping a secret?
1. Prologue

**Blood's Thicker Than Water**

**Prologue **

At fourteen, Tari knew a lot of things: she knew that just because someone said they loved didn't mean they actually did; she knew that sometimes it only took one song to make a person feel better; she knew how to drive a car, even with gears.

She also knew that if she didn't get out of this car, she would drown.

The water was coming in fast. She unbuckled her seatbelt, desperately trying to open the car door. Deep in the recesses of her mind, past her panic-driven thoughts, she remembered something about not being able to open the doors of a car when it landed in water before it filled right to the top. Yet it didn't stop her from trying.

The water was up to her neck now. Kneeling, she forced her head to the top to get oxygen. "Mom!" she yelled. "Mom!"

"Tari!" Looking over to the driver's seat, she could not see her mother. She looked round, the water making harder for her to move.

"Mom!" She could feel herself growing frantic. The small pocket of air in the car was rapidly filling up with water, and Tari knew that she needed to get out of the car. _But I'm not leaving without Mom! _

Now she tilted her head, allowing her nose and mouth to get air. She put her hand on the door handle, ready to get out once the car was filled with water. Once she got out, she would go to the door on the other side and find her mother.

Taking a huge breath as the water finally filled with car, she pushed herself under the water. Her clothes were surprisingly heavy, and she had to use all her energy to push the door open. She felt a surge of water push forward, but managed to slip outside.

Her eyes stung from the open water, and more than anything she wanted to close them. But instead she forced them open, feeling her way round the car.

She thought she must have been dreaming, because the car door was open. Tari stared at it, curling her fingers round the frame. _She wouldn't leave me, would she? Maybe she's looking for me! _Tari turned round, searching for her mother. Maybe –

She felt pain in her back; the next thing she knew, she was back inside the car. Only this time, she had the distinct feeling she had been pushed. How else could she explain being flung into the car, causing her left arm and leg to cry out in pain. She tried to move her arm, but it was too much pain.

Tari also realised, with sudden clarity, that she was running out of air.

The girl didn't want to even leave the water, but knew that she needed air. Once she got more, she would come back down and continuing looking.

She tried to move out the car, but her arm... It refused to move. If she even tried, the pain...

_This is it_, she thought. _I am going to die. _Her lungs were tightening, crying out for air. It was going to be painful, she was going to die from lack of air. Water was going to fill her lungs; she was going to start coughing –

Something warm snaked round the bottom of her leg, and she felt herself being yanked out of the car. Because she was being pulled out so fast, Tari's mind did not go to saviours; instead she thought of monsters lurking deep in the lake, looking for a satisfying meal.

But to her surprise, Tari found herself breaking the surface. Without thinking or caring what was going on, she took in a gasp of air. Her lungs gave out in relief. She didn't comprehend that there were hands underneath her arms.

Tari couldn't remember what happened next. It was a few minutes later when she opened her eyes. Now she was on land, lying in the dirt. _Cold_, she thought, though her mind was slow. _I'm too cold. _

Her eyes widened: through blurry eyes she could make out a dark shape leaning down towards her. She wanted to scream; wanted to run, but her arm was still aching. Besides, she could barely feel her feet or hands, she was so cold.

The figure moved closer to her. "Tari? Tari, are you okay?"

_Damon? _Her heart slowed in relief. "Damon?"

He cradled her head in his hands. His blue eyes peered desperately down at her. "Tari, where's your mother?"

"Mom?" she whispered.

"_Where's Rebecca?_" Damon demanded, his voice slightly harsh.

Tari wanted to answer him, but she couldn't. She just felt so, completely, utterly tired.

_I want Mom. _

_I want to sleep. _

_Where's Mom? _

_Sleep... _

"Tari!" The girl felt something hit her on her cheek. Quickly she opened her eyes. She hadn't even realised she was asleep.

Damon lifted her up. He looked angry, desperate, and slightly worried. He looked different from his usual cocky, confident self – or did he? Was he always like this? It had been _so _long since she'd seen him. "Tari, I need you to tell me where you mother is."

Her vision was fading. With all the energy she could summon, she whispered, "I don't know."

That was the last thing she said before she blacked out.


	2. Dreams are always better than reality

**Hi guys! **

**Okay, so I think I may have made a big mistake. Not a mistake such as I'm – scrapping – this – story – because – it's – crap kind of mistake, but more of a Oops – I – did – it – again. You see, I think that with this story, I should have started with this chapter and not written the prologue, therefore recreating the accident through recollection of Tari's memories as they come back to her – in dreams? That would have worked much better with the way my story was going. But, never mind! Perhaps this lesson will come in handy for another time... **

**I'll tell you something, it PAINS me to write it as if Damon and Elena can never be. I never realised I was such a Damon/Elena fan until I could not have them together. But don't worry, they'll be good friends; the relationship with Stefan and Damon will be quite good too, but it might be a bit up and down. **

**I would just like to say thank you, once again to all my reviews. They make my day, and I'm not just saying that. Thank you SO much for taking time to review my story – trust me, it helps. **

**Again, as always, I can't promise that I will always continue with this story. Inspiration comes and goes, and I'm afraid none of us can control it. I am a little worried that it will happen with this story, because it does seem a challenging one to write. Don't worry; I am going to do my best to keep it going. But, once again, no promises. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters – except for Tari. **

**Chapter One **

**Dreams are always better than reality **

_The sun is shining down on me. The grass is long and deep green, allowing me to run my hands through it. I have never felt so peaceful before. Somehow I'm not thinking about the future, or even about this past. I'm living in the here and now, and right now nothing is wrong. Everything is fine. _

"_Tari! Tari!" _

_I lift my head, slowly looking round. I just heard my mother, but I can't see her. _

"_Tari!" _

_I stand up, the breeze blowing my hair round my face. "Mom?" I call back, but still I can't see her. Inside my head, something is reminding me that this has happened before, I just can't exactly remember _when_. But my heart is beating fast, and I feel sick. _This is wrong_, I realise. I don't know why the silence, why I can't see my mother, is scaring the hell out of me, but it is. _

_Then, suddenly, another wave of calm washes over me. For some reason the fear that I felt just seconds ago has disappeared. It doesn't matter. Here – wherever this was – was too peaceful to believe that anything bad could have ever happened. _

_I close my eyes and let myself sleep. _

Tari couldn't remember what woke her up, but she wished she'd stayed asleep. Her chest was heavy and painful when breathing, while her arm was stiff. Eyes still closed, Tari tried to move her left arm. Pain scorched up her arm, burning like fire.

Her eyes shot open from the agony. Sitting up carefully, she whimpered as her entire body begged to lie back down. Her mind felt groggy and slow, like she had woken up from an operation. Feeling like this, she wasn't so certain she hadn't been in one.

"Be careful." The voice caused her to jump. "You'll still be a little sore."

The girl opened her eyes, disbelieving. She knew that voice – half her life she had yearned for it, memorising a line of words before she fell asleep, so desperate to hear it, so overjoyed when she did.

So distraught, when she didn't.

"Damon?" she whispered. _What the fuck is going on? _How did she get here?

He smiled, one that Tari had longed to see – and in her few short years she had only a few times – and said, "How are you feeling?"

"Er, not so good." She had a banging headache, but something in her mind was bothering her. It was Damon's smile. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about his smile just wasn't quite right; like it almost pained him to plaster it on his face. She didn't know why, but it sent shivers down her back.

"What happened?" Tari questioned.

Damon did not answer the question. Instead he stood up and came to her, sitting on the bed. Her skin tingled as he brought a hand up to her hair, smoothing it against her head. "Perhaps you should sleep?" he suggested. He did not want to have this conversation now; he knew he couldn't avoid it, but he wanted more time – to prepare what he had to say to this child.

But Tari had her father's stubbornness – or maybe her mother's? "What happened?" she persisted. Her mind, though sluggish, knew something wasn't right. Why was she in bed? Why was she so sore? "What's going on?"

Damon hesitated. "Tari, don't you remember anything?"

_No_, she wanted to scream. Instead she scowled, though it caused her face to ache. She pushed her memory to kick into gear, to make her remember. The last thing she could clearly remember was her mother, springing the surprise on her: they were going to see her father. Tari had leapt at the idea: she didn't often get to see Damon, though he only lived a few hours away. They had been driving...

She choked on thin air, her mind suddenly accessing what she couldn't before. "The car – we crashed!" Memories of struggling in the deep water attacked her, coming at her all at once.

"Wait," she began, and Damon prepared for the inevitable. She stared up at him, her blue eyes beseeching. "Where's Mom? Is she okay?"

What could he say? What could he, a cold and heartless killer, say to this child? It should have been easier than talking to someone else, easier to explain it to them. But somehow, telling his own daughter than her mother had died was harder than anything else in the world.

Yet he didn't have to. Because he didn't answer, she knew the truth. Though she did not want to believe it, even though in her mind she did not acknowledge it, she knew. "Damon, where's my mother?" When he still didn't reply, she gripped his arm so tight that Damon swore, if he had blood circulation it would have been cut off. "Dad, where's Mom?"

Tari so rarely called Damon "Dad". He felt his unfeeling heart seize up with pain, almost unbearable.

He looked away. "I'm sorry," he told her, the only words he was able to manage; the only words Tari was unable to take apart and rework the meaning.

"No. _No!_" Her scream caused his sensitive ears to react, immediately aching. Yet he did not cover them; he forced himself to listen to his daughter's pain. "You're lying!"

She pushed past him, despite the soreness of her body. Damon, caught off guard, watched for a moment as she began to walk to the door. Well, rather limp than walk.

With speed Tari didn't know he had, Damon blocked the entrance of the door with his own body. "Let me go!" Tari tried to push her father out the way, but this time Damon would not be taken by surprise.

"Tari, please calm down," Damon commanded, his voice distant.

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Tari tried to slip past Damon, but he blocked her with his arm. Catching the girl he pulled her back in the room.

"Where are you planning to go?" He could feel anger beginning to creep up, churning in the pitch of his stomach as if he was a volcano.

"I NEED TO FIND MOM!" she screamed. Deep inside the girl knew she was being ridiculous. But she could not contain herself. _They're wrong; Mom's alive; they're wrong; Mom's alive. _The alternative was too difficult to comprehend.

"Tari, it's okay." Damon turned his head to see Elena step out from the shadows. Her eyes were big and bright, looking towards Damon's daughter. Damon hoped that Elena would help Tari get through this – after all, she was the one who experienced the death of both her parents. Damon himself remembered when his own mother had died, but he refused to talk about that with _anyone_. Elena would understand what Tari was going through; she would help her.

This distraction was all Tari needed. She shot past Damon and Elena, the former reaching out to try and stop the girl. He shot a look to Elena. It wasn't an angry look, more of an overwhelmed now-look-what-you've-done. "She wants to go outside," he informed his sister-in-law.

Elena did not need anything else to be said. Turning quickly, the two of them raced down the stairs as fast as they could – that is, without using their usual super speed. But even with the girl limping, she still would have managed to get to the door first if Stefan hadn't been in the way.

The youngest Salvatore stood in front of the door, blocking Tari from exiting the house. "Uncle Stefan let me out," Tari commanded without pausing.

"Tari you need to calm down." His voice, like Damon's, was distant, but his face showed sympathy towards the girl. "You should sit down, take some deep breaths, maybe have a drink."

"I don't want to sit down!" Tari shouted. She felt Elena and Damon coming down the stairs, Elena going to guard the living room door. Immediately Tari felt as if she was a tiger, being boxed in. Well, she was ready to draw blood if she needed to.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Tari, come back upstairs," she heard her father say.

Tari shrugged him off, once again going for the door. Stefan grabbed her wrist. Shooting a glare at her uncle, she tried to move to the living room. It was Elena this time that moved in front of her. "Tari-" she began, but the girl interrupted.

"STOP TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN! I NEED TO FIND MY MOTHER!"

Damon felt something inside him snap. His fury was now raging inside him. Despite this, he managed to keep somewhat composed, though his anger was definitely the driving force behind his words: "You're mother is dead."

No one had said it out loud before. Tari paused, while both Stefan and Elena stared at him – well, glowered at him, though in different ways: Elena's face was furious, Stefan's more exasperated.

Slowly his daughter turned to him. Both Stefan and Elena recognised the look on Tari's face; it mirrored Damon's when he was furious and yet, just like him (for the moment) she remained calm. "She," Tari said quietly, stepping towards her father, "is not dead."

Damon's expression held no sympathy. He looked down at his fourteen year old daughter. "We've seen her body. She is dead, Tari."

Damon's blunt words seemed to finally sink in. Tari stepped away from her father, her eyes still holding his. "No," she hissed. Her body began to tremble and her teeth started to chatter. "No," she moaned.

None of the adults were sure how it happened, but suddenly Tari began sobbing hysterically. Elena went to the girl, but Tari pushed her away. It wasn't as if Elena wouldn't have been able to stay there, but that she didn't feel she _should_ – should act as if she was a human that could be shoved aside. The girl was out of control. Elena tried to remember what she had been like when she found out her parents had died; all she could remember was the strong outburst of pain taking over her body.

Damon walked over to Tari, forcing the girl to her feet. "Tari, look at me." The girl shook her head, her tears cascading down her face like raindrops on glass. She struggled in his grasp, making Damon sincerely glad he was a vampire. "_Look_ at me."

Finally, Tari lifted her gaze to her father. He made eye contact with her. "Sleep," he said, doing the one thing he vowed he would not do.

The girl's eyes fluttered before completely closing. Her legs went but luckily Damon had hold of her. Head falling to the side, the girl slipped into a compelled slumber.

**xXx**

"Damon, you shouldn't have done that."

The three Salvatores were in the living room. Elena was sitting on one end of the sofa that had become known as her favourite seat, and Stefan sat opposite in the comfort black leather couch, his spot. Damon's armchair, on the other hand, was empty. The oldest was standing by the window, looking out.

"She was hysterical," he answered in a monotone. "I needed to have her calm."

Elena opened her mouth, but was silenced by a look from her husband. Though Elena was close to Damon, Stefan knew how he was feeling right now; he also knew that if Elena kept pestering his brother then he would rip her head off. When it was about this, there was nothing Damon wouldn't do.

Finishing his glass of scotch, the eldest Salvatore quickly refilled it. "I won't do it again," he promised no one in particular. "She's going to have to face this pain sooner or later."

Elena closed his eyes. "Oh God, I forgot how much it hurts." She ran her hand through her hair. "It's going to take her time to get through this."

"Give the girl a banana," snarled Damon.

"I'm just trying to help Damon!" Elena snapped back.

"Yeah well, fighting isn't going to help." Stefan, the peacemaker as always, stepped in. "We need to focus on helping Tari."

"But – what do we tell her about us being..." Elena let her voice trail off. "She doesn't know we're vampires."

"Not now," Stefan advised. "We'll tell her, but not while she's still upset about her mom."

Damon sank in the arm chair. It had been a _long _night. His mind was going in circles, Rebecca and Tari, one hurting and one dead. _Yesterday... Yesterday they were both fine. Amazing how much a day can change everything... _

"Let's get back to the main topic," Stefan began. His green eyes met Damon's cobalt ones. "This car crash wasn't an accident."

Damon closed his fist, the glass cracking in his hand. He ignored the pain, only allowing it to fuel his anger, only one thought running through his mind: _revenge_.

_I'm eating a bowl of cereal, reading a novel – Sarah Waters' _A Little Stranger _– when my Mom enters. She looks tired and anxious. I try to think what could be causing it: is she stressed over her job? Probably, but it's a Saturday, and generally she doesn't think about work on her day off, so that can't be what she's worried about. Is it her boyfriend? She doesn't have one at the minute. Finally I reach the only other thing that could cause that expression – me. _

_She sees me looking at her, and smiles, in a tired sort of way. "Tari, we're going to take a little trip." _

_My heart starts beating quickly. Nothing is outwardly wrong, but there is something in the air... Maybe it's just me. I can be over-sensitive about these things. _

"_Okay, where?" _

_She smiles, her eyes lighting up a little. "We're going to see your dad." _

_I stare at her. "Damon?" I ask, just to be sure. _

_She laughs. "Who else do you I think mean?" _

_I leap up. "Really? This isn't a joke?" _

"_Of course not," she says. Her smile is truly bright this time. _

"_How long for?" I ask. _

"_Just for a day," she says. "Now go get dressed, if you want to spend some time with him then we'd better leave in the hour. We'll surprise him." _

_I nod, dancing happily to my room. _I'm going to see Damon, _I want to shout. _I'm going to see my dad! _I barely ever see my father. We email often and sometimes talk on the phone, but he's like a beloved uncle than a dad. I smile, unable to contain it. I can't help it – yes it's completely babyish but who the hell cares? I'm going to see my dad! _

She turned her head. Her bright pink alarm clock that was usually on the nightstand wasn't there. In fact, the entire room looked wrong. She didn't recognise a single bit of it. She was bemused, but then she felt her body stiffen.

She could hear someone breathing next to her.

Carefully Tari sat up, being sure not to move the covers. Holding her breath, she turned to look at the person next to her. Through the darkness of the night, she saw the pale arms of a man; hair dark, in this light, looked black; and his face...

The events of the previous day came flooding back. Her arm was lifted to her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. _No, _she told herself. _Don't cry here. _She wanted to scream, wail, sob, bang her fists against a wall, but not here. She couldn't do it with Damon in the room. She didn't want anyone to see her break down.

Very quietly, so much that even she couldn't hear herself, Tari slipped out the covers. The girl tiptoed to the door of the bedroom, which was closed. She bit her lip as she turned the door handle and gently pulled the door forward, waiting to see if her father would hear it. She turned her head, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief when she realised Damon hadn't woken up.

She closed the door behind her, and then hurried down the hall. She thought she could hear Stefan and Elena talking. She quickly paused, waiting to see if they had heard her. After several minutes of listening to their low voices, Tari was certain they hadn't noticed the noise, however quiet she had been.

The girl hurried down the stairs, a little faster than before. Once in the foyer, she hesitated. _What do I do now? _she asked herself. _I don't know the house very well. Where can I go? _

Not to her surprise, her eyes went to the front door.

_I'll be quick_, she told herself, though she wasn't sure if she quite believed it. But what was she going to do? She was in bare feet and pyjama bottoms and a hoodie (halfway down the stairs she had realised that she hadn't been wearing her previous clothes. She shuddered to think who changed her). How far could she actually go?

She walked to the door, a little bit of enthusiasm building. She hadn't seen the gardens of this place for ages. It would be a good place to hide and shed her tears.

The door was locked, but the key was on the table next to it. Tari twisted it in the lock, her heart pounding.

She only just pulled the door ajar when someone slammed it back shut. A pale hand on the wood told her all she needed to know.

Reluctantly she lifted her head. Damon was standing over her, his shoulders hunched over her body as if he was trying to protect her instead of being her captor.

His blue eyes were cold, but Tari could see the quiet fury underneath it. Tari had spent enough time with her father to know he liked to have fun, he didn't take too much notice of rules – but that was other people's rules. _His _rules were to be obeyed, no exception.

Damon reached up to the lock on the door and twisted it, then reaching down and locking the door using the key. He never took his eyes off his daughter. Tari fought the urge to tremble. She had never seen Damon this cold before; never known he could be _this _terrifying.

Once making sure the door was locked, her grasped her by her upper arm, swiftly lifting her into his arms. He carried her back up the stairs and to the bedroom. The girl felt tears building behind her eyes once again, though in the dark she was able to blink them away without Damon noticing.

At least, that's what she thought.

When they arrived back in the bedroom, Damon placed her on the bed before crawling in himself. "Sleep," he commanded, his voice void of any emotion.

Tari shook her head, sitting up. "Let me go."

Using one hand Damon pushed her back down to the bed. Tari fought to sit up, but he was stronger than she expected. "No." He fell asleep on his stomach, just like he always did, except this time he snaked his arm over her stomach, keeping her with him. She wasn't going anywhere, not tonight.

Tari turned away from her father, tears sliding down her face. She was unsure of herself, and of Damon. Why was he so hell bent on not allowing her to leave the house? Did he think she was going to try and run? _Was _she? At this point even she didn't know what she was going to do.

Right now, all she wanted to do was talk to her mom.

She pressed her lips together to hide her sobs. It didn't matter though – Damon felt her chest beginning to shake. Inwardly sighing, he pulled her into his grasp, placing her head close to his chest. "Shh," he murmured to the young girl. "I know. It's okay."

With those words, Tari began to let herself break down. She pressed his face to her father's chest as she cried, and Damon placed his chin on her head. Breathing in her scent, he felt a wave of guilt attack him. _I'm so sorry Tari. This is all my fault. _


	3. Then again

**Hey people! **

**So here's the next chapter! In truth I'm not completely pleased with this chapter (maybe it's because it's past midnight by the time I've finished this) so I could do with reviews. What do you think of the character Tari? Do you think she is reacting the way she should? And what about Damon? Are his actions with Tari believable? **

**Please keep me posted - I need to know about this story! **

**Thank you, and as always, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or the characters - except for the brilliant and wonderful Tari. **

**Chapter Two **

**Then again... **

Those next few days passed in somewhat of the blur for Tari. Looking back, the girl couldn't say how she had been able to get through them. All she could remember was the deep, burning pain in her body. She tried to understand it. She tried to push past it. Years ago Tari had believed that she was not a normal human being, that she didn't _feel _as much as other people did. Well, if this was God's way of showing her how wrong she was, lesson learnt. If anything, she felt _too _much.

"Hey." Tari glanced up, disorientated. She was in the kitchen, and it was early afternoon. How had she gotten here? How had it become afternoon when she was sure it had been morning?

Sun filtering in by the window, she saw Elena push a plate towards her. "You should eat," she advised the girl. "You haven't eaten properly in three days."

The cheese on toast made her feel queasy. She took a bite from one of the pieces and pushed it away from her. "Done," she said quietly.

"Tari, please, you need to have something."

"I did." Without waiting Tari stood and walked outside to the garden. She had _finally _been allowed outside, but only in the garden. Still, that was something. If she had been her old self, she would have challenged the fact that she couldn't go wandering round without an escort. Now though...well, she would do as she was told, as long as they allowed her to be alone.

She snuck past the set of maple trees, through bushes that were very close to each other but didn't actually touch, and finally to the large oak tree. It was the only one in the garden, but very beautiful. It was so big and wide. It had been there for years, and reminded Tari of a warm, comforting aunt, ready to embrace anyone in a hug.

She sat down underneath it. The air itself was warm, though not surprising considering it was August, but nevertheless Tari curled up in a ball. The world seemed a much scarier place now, without her mother. She had been taught that fairytales didn't exist; that karma didn't work; that bad things happened to good people. The world was a harsh cruel place, a place Tari no longer recognised as her own.

She didn't know what was going to happen to her. After the night of the accident she withdrew in her shell, barely speaking. Both Elena and Stefan had tried to break through. Tari could see Elena was trying to be kind and considerate, but Tari barely knew the girl; Stefan, on the other was desperately trying to talk to Tari, convince her that everything was okay. He had never known his own mother – how did he know what it was like to lose one?

As for Damon... He barely acknowledged her, and that was when he was here. The past few days Damon and Stefan had barely been around, out all day. Occasionally Elena left and Stefan took over, but Damon was hardly ever home. It was only when she would wake up in the middle of the night that she would realise Damon was there, asleep. Since she didn't talk and he didn't offer any information, Tari had no clue what he was doing.

Just thinking about going to bed made Tari feel sleepy. Nonetheless she didn't want to go to; lately sleep wasn't coming easy to her. For three nights, without fail, she would have the nightmare.

It varied, but basically the idea was the same: she and her mother would be driving home. Tari would know that the accident was coming, but wouldn't be able to stop it, though she urgently tried to. It was as if she was living it all over again, and she hated it.

Every time she woke up, she would find an escape route. For some reason, she would be struck by the sudden desire to go outside. She couldn't understand why, but it was like a feeling... But while she had this longing to go outside, she also felt this...fear. She could not understand why – she was perfectly comfortable going outside during the day, but the thought of going outside at night made her palms sweat.

So why, every night, did she try to go outside?

Not that it mattered. Every single time she made it to the door, Damon would suddenly appear. Locking it he would pick her up and take her back to the bedroom. Tari would be angry with him – almost trembling with fury – but she didn't understand _why_.

Like it mattered anyway. She didn't see him for any other part of the day. She didn't have to pretend with him. She was just waiting until they would let her go _home_. Well, maybe not home – to her aunt Isabel's, her mother's sister. Tari would feel better when she was with her: she saw Aunt Isabel all the time; she would understand her.

She had been so excited about seeing her father before; now she couldn't remember why.

**xXx **

_I'm in hell. _

_Mom is driving, smiling out the front of the car. "Mom!" I cry, "Please stop the car." _

_She ignores me, switching on the radio . Did she not notice that it was a deathly song that would only be fit for a funeral?_

"_Mom," I sob, "please stop." _

_The car swings violently to the left; before I can catch my breath the car fills with water. Still I'm calling for my Mom, but now I can't even see her. And then I can't breathe. _

_I can't breathe. _

Tari gasped for oxygen as she pushed herself up. Her fingers grasped the sheets underneath her, clinging to reality. Her eyes scanned the room, immediately recognising it as hers –

As Damon's.

She turned her head, noticing that, for once, Damon wasn't asleep next to her. That was odd. She searched for her watch, as Damon didn't have an alarm clock like she'd had in her room. Deeming it "late" she stood up. She didn't want to turn the light on; didn't want to attract anyone's attention in case Stefan or Elena decided to have a heart to heart.

It was as if she was on autopilot. This was how it felt to her when she stepped towards Damon's side of the bed, reaching to the desk leaning against the wall. On it was a pad of paper and a pen, and a glass bottle of scotch, along with a glass cup.

Tari peered at the paper, trying to see if there was anything written on it. No, it didn't seem to be written on at all. Shrugging, her eyes landed on what she'd wandered over for: the glass of scotch.

Tari wasn't a drinker. She was only fourteen, for God's sake! Sure, she'd had a glass of champagne at her cousin's wedding and a beer here and there, but nothing like this; nothing this strong.

Carefully pouring some into a glass (God, it was heavy) she raised it to her nose. It smelt foul, but so did most alcohol. Tari never particularly yearned for alcohol, but people drank to forget, right? It numbed the pain, and Tari had a lot of pain she didn't want to feel; she had something she wanted to forget.

The light flashed on, as if someone had held a camera right to her face. "Thanks for pouring me a drink." Damon appeared by her side. He wasn't frowning, but not smiling either – it was more of a look of indifference, though there was a glimmer of something in his eyes. Something that Tari wouldn't like if she cared.

Tari rolled her eyes as Damon took the glass and downed the scotch in one. Once finished he breathed a quick sigh of pleasure, as if that's exactly what he needed. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Without a word Tari crawled back into the covers. Inwardly her father frowned. He had not expected it to be that easy. Turning his back he hurriedly (though it felt slow to him who could get dressed and undressed in the blink of an eye) changed into his boxers and a white shirt, before crawling into bed beside his daughter.

Neither of them fell asleep. In the dark Damon watched his daughter as she stared, unblinking, up at the ceiling. Every time she would glance his way he would close his eyes, so it looked to her that he was been asleep.

Slowly she began to creep out of the bed. Damon sighed: he knew what was going on. He waited until she heard her unlock the door and then appeared by her side. This time she had tried to leave via the back door, but Damon knew that.

He saw those eyes roll again before picking her up. She did not fall against him willingly, but sat stonily in his arms until he carried placed her back in the bed.

As soon as she was in bed, Tari leapt back out again. Damon glowered at her. "Bed."

"No."

"Funny." Slowly Damon strolled towards her. "It wasn't a question." He took her arm, but she quickly yanked it away from his grasp.

"I want to go back home, to New York."

"No."

"Why not?" exploded Tari. "I can go live with Aunt Isabel, she won't mind. She's now my legal guardian, you can't stop-"

"Correction, kid, _I _am your legal garden."

The girl gaped at him, for a moment purely speechless. Damon _couldn't _be her guardian. "But she's my God mother. In Mom's will – Mom _told _me-"

"She did come the night after the accident to collect you, but I convinced her that you should stay here."

"Why didn't you _tell _me?" Tari felt her chest ache, tears forming in her eyes. _Funny... I thought I that I'd run out. _

"You were asleep; I didn't think it was a good idea to wake you."

_Oh God, he's a psychopath_. Even though Tari sensed that it wasn't exactly true, it's what first entered her mind when he said that. "I don't get it!" she yelled, for the first time feeling anger surge upwards like lava. "Why won't you let me go home?"

Damon couldn't – wouldn't – tell her the truth. Instead, he poured another drink and held it out to her. "On second thoughts, I would drink up. Something tells me you're going to need it."

With anger she shoved the glass away. It would have landed on the floor if Damon hadn't caught it. Tari recoiled slightly in surprise. The liquid hadn't even left the glass. She glanced upwards to find Damon glaring at her with hard eyes. This time Tari gazed up at him, unafraid.

"I don't want a fucking drink. I want to go home."

Damon crossed his arms, seeming to think about it. In truth, he was torn. On the one hand, he was annoyed by Tari's stubbornness, though he couldn't argue that it was unlike himself. But then, Damon was enjoying this: his usually stubborn, bold, unwavering daughter had barely spoken, being unusually meek. He was glad of the change – _this _was his daughter.

"Let's see," he said thoughtfully. "I think a week's grounding for language should be enough, provided you go to bed now."

Tari took a step towards him, and said through gritted teeth, "I want to go home."

Damon felt a smirk, preparing for the most powerful bombshell of all. "Honey, you _are _home."

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. She lunged for him, preparing to claw those cobalt eyes of his out. But a human could never win against a vampire, even though Tari didn't actually know that her father was one.

So instead of Tari catching her father's face, he caught her and whirled her round so her back was leaning against his chest and stomach. He leant forward, whispering in her ear. "A week and five days, and I'm being generous."

Tari struggled against the man, but of course she was no match for him. He glanced down at her, a little proud. She was certainly wilful girl, immediately reminding him of himself...and of Rebecca.

_Don't think. Just breathe. _

"Now," he said gently, stroking her hair. She tossed her head back angrily, but he continued running his hand through her thick mane of wavy hair. "Time for bed." Again he pushed her towards the bed. She fell forwards onto the big bed. Before she had the time to fight again, the lights went out and she felt the weight come down on the bed.

She felt an arm snake across her back. Instantly she flipped over, but as soon as she did she felt his muscular arms tightened round her, preventing her from leaving, just like every night before.

But this time, she struggled.

She flung her arms out, almost catching Damon in the face. She tried to twist round in his arm, finally digging her nails in his skin.

Damon quickly reached out and gently (as gently as he could with his strength) gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. He was weakening – he _really _wanted to use his compulsion on her, but he had said he wouldn't use it again, and God damn it, he was going to try his hardest not to. "Tari," he said, loudly and clearly. "Go to sleep."

"_Why?_" she growled, doing a brilliant imitation of a vampire, if Damon said so himself.

"Because you're tired," he declared. He stared into her eyes. "You're exhausted and you can't think clearly. Once you sleep, it'll go away."

"My anger?"

He lowered his voice. "It'll go away."

The answer wasn't good enough for Tari. She struggled against him, but after half an hour he could feel her tiring. Finally, at two in the morning, she drifted back into a exhausted sleep.

Damon listened, waiting. And sure enough he felt the evil presence leave the area, going away.

Damon finally allowed himself to fall asleep.

**Anyone else curious about that evil presence?**

**xXx **

**03/07/11: Yesterday (for some reason) I began reading this story and absolutely CRINGING over some of the mistakes. So I've decided to fix them! I'm actually enjoying updating them. I can't promise that I'm going to continue with it, but ideas are floating round in my head. **

**(P.S. I updated chapter one as well – and corrected some grammar mistake that has been bothering me for AGES! I would advise you to read it – I think I've improved the story. There are no MAJOR changes – not yet anyway – but I would still read it if you want to keep up with the story). **


	4. The truth, well, most of it

**Okay, I know many of you are expecting the next chapter to **_**Dark Angel **_**(I gather out of the two it's the favourite?) but I just left chapter two and immediately wanted to write up the next one. Rest assured, the next chapter is almost done. But with all this revision, it's taking me longer than usual to post a story. Don't worry though, it's coming! **

**Anyway, here's the next chapter! There's a lot more of Damon and Tari, some Elena and Damon too. Hope you enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any characters – except for Tari of course!**

**Chapter Three **

**The truth...well, most of it**

The sunlight drifted into the bedroom, landing directly on Damon's face. He squinted against the light, finally opening his eyes. He had been fighting to stay asleep for an hour or so now, but with the sun's eventual rise, he decided to get up.

His ice blue eyes instantly fell on Tari. He still had his arm tightly round her waist. For a moment he stared at her peaceful face, admiring it. She looked so much like Rebecca, with the same shaped face and long mane of wavy brown hair that brushed past her shoulders. But whereas Rebecca had dark, hazel brown eyes, Tari had cobalt blue ones – exactly like Damon's.

It was about the only thing of his she had. At least physically; as for temperament, he wasn't sure. If she _was _like him, they were going to have a few problems.

Pushing himself off the bed, he dressed in his usual attire – all black – and headed downstairs. There Elena was finishing breakfast. She nodded in acknowledgement as he sat on the stool, in front of a silver metal tray. Damon didn't touch any of it – he knew what Elena's cooking was like. As much as she tried (and Damon had to admit, she tried) it made him glad he drank blood.

"What's with the food?" he asked his sister-in-law. "Blood suddenly doesn't do it for you?"

She was smiling to herself as she piled the eggs in the tray. "Tari hasn't been eating, and I thought it might because we don't have anything but cereal for breakfast."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "I think it may have something to do with the fact her mother just died."

Elena glowered at Damon. "Is there a sensitive bone in your body?"

"Why don't you ask her?"

Elena paused for a moment. "What were you two fighting about last night?"

He snatched a piece of bacon from the tray. "You heard that?"

The vampire girl rolled her eyes. "Everybody heard it, even Stefan, who sleeps-"

"Like he has a lawnmower in his chest." Damon's blue eyes crinkled, amused. "You forget, I lived with him before you did."

"Stop changing the subject. What did you and Tari fight about?"

Taking the opportunity to drink some blood – AB positive, his favourite – Damon stuck a straw in the bag. "She wanted to go home. I told her she was. She didn't take it well."

Elena closed her eyes. "Take it slow with her Damon. She's just lost her mother."

"And the best thing would be to let her go home, right?"

He couldn't see Elena's face as she busied herself with the breakfast. "No," she said finally. "But I don't think it was easy telling her that."

Damon pictured the furious glint in Tari's eyes when he told her, or implied, that she was living here from now on. He smirked at the thought of her trying to claw his eyes out. The next few days were going to be interesting, with that spitfire around.

"Where's little brother?" asked Damon, looking round.

Elena beamed. "He's out shopping to get Tari more food. I never noticed how little food we had-"

"Since we're vampires?"

There was a moment of silence. "When are you going to tell her?"

In honesty, Damon didn't know. How was he supposed to tell her that he, Elena and Stefan – her new roommates – were vampires? How was he meant to make her believe him without scaring the shit out of her? "I don't know," he admitted.

Elena opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted when Stefan entered the house, toting six shopping bags. "Jeez little brother," Damon said, relieved for the change of conversation. "What did you do, buy out the entire store?"

Stefan shrugged, use to Damon's jibes at him. "I didn't know what she liked." He smiled as Elena crossed the room to him. "Hi."

"Hi," Elena answered, as breathless as if she had been running. She planted a simple but sweet kiss on his lips. Damon turned away, unable to bear it.

"Why did you take Damon's car?" she questioned, helping him unload the bags.

Stefan frowned in confusion. "I didn't, I took mine."

Elena gazed at him, her own eyes bemused. "But his car isn't out front."

All three vampires craned their necks out the window. Stefan's sports car – the one he'd had for years, since before Elena met him – was there, but Damon's blue mustang was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm sure I parked it there," Damon murmured, trying to think. Elena turned at him, just as puzzled, certain she'd seen it there this morning. Only Stefan realised. He turned to Damon, his eyes big.

"What?"

"C'mon Damon. And I thought you were the smart one."

"Since when?"

"Damon, think!" snarled Stefan.

It hit Damon that instant. "Shit," he hissed.

Elena looked between the two brothers. "Would someone please tell me what's going on?"

As Stefan explained, Damon dashed upstairs, bursting into his bedroom like a bubble. Sure enough, the bed was empty. His eyes wandered to her suitcase which he had parked in the corner of the bedroom.

It was gone.

Damon groaned. "Three vampires with super hearing, and the girl sneaks out. Great."

_Well, _a little voice in his head said,_ she is your daughter._

**xXx**

The road was quiet. Tari was relieved about this. She had taken the back roads leading out of Mystic Falls, hoping the less people that would see her, the better. She had stolen her father's car, and she was sure he would have called the police. But she had been driving fast, so she probably wouldn't be caught.

At least, she hoped.

If Tari was caught, she knew that she would be in trouble. The police would not be pleased, because she was only fourteen. Normally she wouldn't even know how to _drive _a car, but she use to spend part of the summer at a friend's farm - her mother was always insisting they at least spend _some_ time in the country. Her Uncle Brian (he wasn't really her uncle, just a friend of her mother's, but she called him that anyway) didn't understand why she shouldn't be allowed to drive, and taught her from the age of twelve how to handle a car. After spending two summers learning how to drive his old truck, the mustang seemed too fast. Thankfully Tari managed it.

But the police weren't the ones she was afraid of. No, she was _terrified _of what her father would do when – if – he found her. She could just imagine his face when she returned home. After last night...

It wasn't as if he'd hit her anything, but it just enforced what she had previously learnt: you do what Damon says; you don't cross him. Okay, so he hadn't said anything about driving, but she had said that she wanted to go home – and he'd told her she was already home.

But Tari loved New York. She adored the hustle and bustle of the city, the ability to order pizza or Chinese food at two a.m. in the morning, and of course it didn't matter if you were a freak in New York City, because you were guaranteed to find someone who was an ever bigger freak. But Mystic Falls? It was a small town; she would stick out like a sore thumb. And what were you suppose to do for fun?

Besides, all her memories of her mother were there. As painful as it would be, her mother had decided to raise Tari in New York, had decided Aunt Isabel was her guardian, and Tari at least wanted her mother's wishes to be carried out.

No, Tari was not living in Mystic Falls. She was going to go back to New York, and talk to Aunt Isabel. She wasn't sure what her father had done to convince her aunt to allow him to become Tari's legal guardian, but was confident that she could undo it.

She drove for hours until her stomach growled. Relieved that she had some cash spare, she stopped in a bar to grab a burger.

Tari felt her stomach clench as she went inside. She was a fourteen year old girl, and she was defenceless. Besides that the bar was crammed with people – to be more specific, men. Some of them were sitting quietly, others were mumbling drunk – and others were chatting up every girl they could.

She found a quiet spot in the corner and put her iPod in her ears, deflecting unwanted attention. She read from the long menu, finally ordering a cheese burger with extra fries. She had gobbled that down and was looking at the dessert menu when she felt someone else sliding into the booth opposite her.

"Hey," she heard a voice say, one that she hadn't heard before. She glanced up, her eyes meeting with dark blue ones. This man – he could be called a boy, he looked to be in his early twenties – was attractive certainly, with longish dark hair and a dazzling smile. But Tari wasn't fooled. She'd grown up in New York City, for God's sake! She knew not to fall for the attractive guys – not to fall for any guys that you didn't know, full stop.

"Yes?" she asked briskly.

"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Inwardly she rolled her eyes at him. Outwardly she smiled sweetly at him. "Taking a leak." She raised her hand, attracting a waitress. "Cheque please," she asked. Relieved that the waitress was now coming back and that she was in a public place, she turned back to the man. "I'm leaving shortly."

"You sure you don't want to stay?" he offered. "Meal's on me, and another round of drinks."

"Thanks," she replied. "But I need to head home. I already late and my father will be furious if I'm not home by curfew."

She had a feeling that he wouldn't believe her – and it didn't seem as if he had, with that smirk on his face. He leant over the table. "Sure I can't convince you?"

"I'm sixteen," Tari said, the lie coming easy. "You're what, twenty three?"

"That's not much of an age difference."

"Which you haven't confirmed." The waitress came back with the cheque. Tari smiled gratefully and quickly placed the correct amount of money. She stood up, gathering her things. "See you."

She checked behind her as she walked out the door. His eyes were following her, but he hadn't gotten up. Thank God.

As soon as she stepped outside, she sprinted to where she parked. She doubted he was coming after her, but the sooner she was away from here, the better.

She began to power walk when the car was in her sights. Her heart was slowing down now, her breathing easier. She would drive through the night, sleep maybe – to be able to sleep without feeling Damon's arm clinging round her waist protectively, being able to wander during the night if she pleased. Living by her own rules. She smiled. Maybe –

She felt a hand round her throat and her spine trembled as she hit the brick wall. The pain exploded in her head; it felt as if her eyes were trying to fall out. Gripping the captor's hand, her eyes flew to him. She wasn't surprised to see it was the guy at the bar. But what did surprise her – what scared the hell out of her – was his eyes. They had gone red, and the veins round his eyes were easily seen.

Tari felt breathless and dizzy, but she was certain this wasn't her imagination. She opened her mouth to scream, but in an instant he placed his hand over hers.

"Hush," he whispered. He bent down, and to her horror, she felt his lips on her neck. She winced when she felt a sharp nip, so sharp it drew blood. She then felt his tongue licking the new wound. It was so...surreal. There was pain, but Tari didn't feel as if he was doing it to her body. He _couldn't _be doing this to her. How on earth would he be able to?

"Sweet," he said, pulling back. "Shame we can't play around too much, but I have higher orders."

_Higher orders? _The way he said that made her legs go weak. It sounded even worse than what she had imagined. Had her father sent him? No, why would he bite her? Damon would not allow him to hurt her, even if he was pissed with her. Right?

She bit his hand, surprised when he drew it back. "Fuck you," she growled, trying to force his hands off her.

He laughed, his eyes still red. "That's what I was thinking of doing to you – that is, if you'd taken up my offer. It's a shame really," he said, moving his disgusting hand under her shirt, between her breasts. "I would have been much kinder." Giving one of them a squeeze, he smirked as he saw her freeze. "But those weren't my orders. Still, I'm so tired – I may need a drink first. After all, no one will argue if I weaken you a bit first."

Seeing him coming down to her neck once more, she closed her eyes tightly. What was going to happen to her? Was he going to rape her? Or worse, kill her? And who were these other people?

She had been prepared for the pain, but instead felt him move his hand off her throat, his hand yanked away from underneath her shirt. Hearing snarls, she gasped for air as she opened her eyes. Against the other wall, just opposite her, was the man. This time he was being held by his throat, by none other than Damon Salvatore.

She gaped at him. How had he got here? And so fast?

He did not look at her, his eyes fixed slowly on her attacker. "Tari, get in the car."

She looked between them. Her attacker didn't seem so strong now: he struggled in Damon's grasp, trying to get her father's hand off his neck. She had been afraid of him?

"Do what I say! Get in the car now!"

Tari didn't need to be told again; she raced down to the car, opening the door and sliding inside.

**xXx **

Once Damon heard the car lock, he relaxed slightly, focussing on the other vampire. "Now," he began quietly. "What the hell do you think you're doing with my daughter?"

The man smirked. "What does it matter?"

Damon punched him in the face. He heard the snap of a broken nose – not that it mattered, he would be dead soon. "Tell me, what are you doing with my daughter?"

He raised his face, his nose bleeding. "I was taking her."

Damon closed his hand round the vampire's throat. "To whom?" he hissed.

He smirked at Damon, despite the fact blood was gushing down his face was covered with blood. His nose had healed quickly, but the blood was still on his face. "I think you know."

Yes, Damon did know. And because of that, he knew he could not allow this vampire to live.

**xXx **

Tari was scared, not for the first time tonight. She wondered what Damon was doing. She hoped that he would be okay – he seemed to have the upper hand, though that could change in the blink of an eye. She closed her eyes, leaning back in the seat. _What if he dies? _Though Tari had run away from him, she felt near tears at the thought of it. She couldn't lose another person – it hurt too much.

There was a tap on the window, causing Tari to jump. Damon was standing outside the car. She opened the door. "Move over," he told her. Tari slid to the passenger seat, and Damon got in the car. After moving the seat, he started the engine and began to drive.

Both father and daughter were silent for some time. "What was wrong with him?" Tari finally asked, unable to bear the mystery. Something had been wrong with that man – she knew it.

"Huh?" Damon glanced over at her; she was pale, and looked slight sick.

"Something was wrong with him. His eyes-"

"I'll tell you when we stop off."

"What?"

"It's late and you made it half way to New York. We might as well stop and get your stuff."

Tari stared at him. "Really?"

"Mm," he said vaguely. His tone turned serious. "Did he hurt you?"

Tari's hand went to her neck. Though it didn't seem to be bleeding, it was still sore. "Not really. But who was he? What did he want?"

Damon gritted his teeth. "I'll explain once we get to the motel, okay? But not now."

Tari heard the tone in his voice and immediately shut up. She knew that Damon would already be pissed at her; she didn't want to make things worse.

It took them half an hour to find a motel. Leaving Tari in the car with strict instructions, Damon went to reception and came back with a key. The room had one large bed and a small bathroom. Tari wasn't sure what to do, but before she could ask him a question he pushed her down on the bed. His hands wandered to her neck, running them over her wound. "Not bad," she heard him murmur. "Not deep either. That was lucky." He debated over giving her some of his blood, since he knew he would now have to explain everything to her, but decided that he didn't want to scare her anymore than he needed to. Instead he found a first aid kit and carefully bandaged her up. He did it on autopilot, trying to sort out in his head how he was going to tell her what he was.

Tari had to admit, she was scared. She had just been attacked, but believe it or not she was more worried about what Damon was going to say. But he was keeping something from her, she knew it. Finding her courage, she said, "Damon, what is going on?"

He sighed. Pulling up a chair, he said, "You won't believe me."

Tari narrowed her eyes. After tonight she would believe anything. "Try me."

_Just say it. It's like ripping off a band aid. _

"I'm a vampire."

Tari rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. Enough with the jokes-"

"I'm deathly serious."

She gazed up him, her eyes cool and collected; she didn't believe him. Of course she didn't. "Okay, you're a vampire. Now can you please tell me what's going on?"

"He was an old vampire enemy of mine and Stefan's. He saw you and seized the opportunity for revenge."

"Oh, and Stefan's a vampire too?"

"And Elena. She became one because she wanted to be with Stefan."

Tari grinned despite everything. "Do you have a _Twilight _obsession or something?"

Damon snorted. "Please, that book has it way off. Our bodies basically function the same way as human's do, as long as we drink blood regularly."

Tari stared at him. "Damon, seriously, tell me what's going on."

_She's never going to believe me. _Damon went to his black leather jacket and pulled a pocket knife from the inside pocket. He couldn't explain why he always kept it there since he could do more damage than the knife could, but it was a habit he kept up. He sat next to his daughter, shoulder to shoulder. "Right," he said. "I don't want you to be scared, okay? Just watch."

When he placed the knife against his arm, Tari couldn't help but feel nervous. "Damon," she whispered. "What are you doing?"

Quickly Damon jerked the knife over his arm. Tari gasped, leaning away. "What the hell are you doing? We need-"

Damon gripped her with his other arm. "Tari, _look_."

She did. The cut on his arm, which had been spilling blood a moment ago, was suddenly moving together. New skin covered the wound in an instant. Now it looked as if nothing had ever touched it. _Like magic..._

In fear Tari leapt off the bed, but Damon was on the side of the bed nearest the door. Instead she backed herself against the nearest wall, unable to run and unable to look away.

Damon watched her, his face indifferent as he saw her reaction. It was what he expected. Slowly he stood up, but made no move towards her. "Tari," he said, trying to make his voice soothing. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

She was trembling. "What is this, some joke? 'Cause it really isn't funny."

In an instant Damon was in front of her. She jumped, but didn't run; she had now just seen how fast he could be, and it suddenly occurred to her that, whatever Damon wanted to do to her, he could.

"This is no joke," he hissed at her. "This is the most serious matter in the world – _our _world. No one can ever know about this, _especially _in Mystic Falls."

"B-but why?" she whispered. "Who would believe me?"

He chuckled, but it was without humour. "Oh, you'd be surprised. Mystic Falls has always been a suspicious place, and the history of vampires is...long."

Disbelief and confusion rose up. "I don't understand!" she cried, pushing her hands into his chest. "This isn't real."

Damon bent down until his face was opposite Tari's. She resisted, but he put his hand underneath her chin and lifted it so once again her eyes were looking up into his. "I know this is hard," he murmured, trying to be kind. "But now do you understand why I can't let you leave?"

There was a flash in Tari's eyes. "So that's why I can't leave? That's why I can't go home?"

"Got it in one."

"But that's not fair! No one came after me before, why should they now?"

"He wanted you for blood Tari. As horrible as it is, it happens. Many vampires do it." What many vampires did _not _do however was grope their victims. Damon had seen where that _dick _had put his hand. He was just glad he had gotten there when he did. He wouldn't even let his mind go to what would have happened if he hadn't.

"But he said he had orders! He-"

"He was talking about his friends," Damon answered calmly. "Some vampires hunt in groups. It's not common, but it happens. He was probably going to let other vampires drink some blood too." He made eye contact with her. "You see why you have to stay with me?"

"What, and you think I'll be safer with you?" Damon's smirk was her answer. "You can't be with me all the time. What about when I'm alone in the house?"

"You can't be harmed," Damon said smoothly. "Vampires need to be invited in."

"Now you're kidding."

"Nope, trust me, it's very annoying. That's another thing: don't invite anyone in the house that you don't know, because once you've been invited, you can't be uninvited." Damon and Stefan had agreed to allow Alaric to own the house, so only he could let people in. Annoying, but Damon was pleased that the house was safe – especially now that Tari was with them.

Her head was spinning. "But I thought vampires didn't come out during the day?"

"You can't...unless you've got one of these." Damon held up his hand, gesturing to the ring. "It prevents a vampire from being burnt by the sun. We're lucky; most vampires don't have these."

The spinning in her head was now turning into an ache. "I need a drink," she murmured. Instead of going to the mini-fridge underneath the television, she went in the bathroom. He heard the door lock, and guessed she wasn't about to be coming out anytime soon. Sighing, he sat down on the bed. He could wait.

Tari ran the cold tap of cold wait into a glass and drank it. None of this felt real. No, it felt as if she was in a dream.

Or a nightmare.

What was she going to do now? How was she going to get home? Damon was a vampire – with that impressive show of speed, he could catch up to her in a matter of seconds.

She could never go home again.

She had to live in Mystic Fall forever.

Her mother was gone.

And her new family were vampires.

Running the tap water, she held her hand over her mouth as she silently sobbed. Life, as she knew it, had completely changed, but Tari doubted it was for the better.

**xXx **

**03/07/11: I think I need to do this with every story! Some of those mistakes were awful! I've changed some little bits round, but I don't think it's too important – just smoothing out wrinkles. **


	5. Not so nice surprise

**So sorry for the wait! Here is the next chapter of **_**Blood's Thicker Than Water. **_**Once again I am sorry for making you wait. If you read my one-shot yesterday, then you'll know that I'm completely stressed with revision – and I'm still worried I'm not doing enough! **

**Anyway, that's the reason I can't do much writing. I will do my best to update as soon as possible, but you guys may be in for a long wait as my exams don't end 'till the 1st July (WHY does that seem so far AWAY?). Basically, don't expect me to update often. **

**Enough with that; without further ado, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters with the exception of Tari.**

**Chapter Four**

**Not-so-nice surprise **

Damon was fine would giving Tari her space. But now it was nearing midnight, and she still had not left the bathroom. For a moment he worried that she would do something stupid like slit her wrists, but he didn't smell any blood and he was certain there wouldn't be any tablets in the room. So he sat and waited.

But when it was quarter to twelve, Damon stood up. He knocked on the door. "Tari, open up." He waited, but didn't hear anything from the inside. "Tari, if you do not open this door right now I will knock it down. Don't think I can't."

There was a beat of silence, but then he heard movement. Finally the door unlocked and Tari stepped out. Her eyes were a little red and she was pale; she looked tired. "What?" she asked roughly.

Damon felt his stomach drop. He could tell by the tone of voice that she was trying to hold back tears; that she was trying to be defensive. He should know, he had been in that position enough times. "Bed," he said to her.

Tari leant against the door frame. "Seriously?"

"What?" Damon questioned with a slight smirk. "You've already stayed up this late. You should have been in bed by nine."

He handed her pyjamas from the suitcase and leaving her to change, went in the bathroom. He changed into his own pyjamas, a simple black top and boxers. When he came out the bathroom he found Tari sitting on the bed, flicking through the channels.

He snatched the remote out of her hands. "Hey, I had it first," she argued.

"I get to decide."

"Why?"

"Because I'm older." He nodded to the top of the bed. "Get in."

Tari glowered at him and crossed her arms. Damon sighed, switching off the television. "Get into bed Tari. You should be asleep already."

"I don't want to."

"Oh yeah?" Damon crossed his own arms, a mirror image of Tari. "I didn't want to spend today chasing after you, but here we are."

"I didn't ask you to," she muttered.

Damon growled, scowling. "I'm losing my patience, Tari. Get into bed now or I will make you."

She scoffed. "You wouldn't hurt me."

A second later she felt his hands on her upper arms. He lifted her up off the bed, her legs swinging in the air. She tried to kick him, but it was effortlessly easy for Damon to place her under the covers of the bed.

She glowered at him as he stood straight, smirking down at her. "Told you." He went to the door and locked it. He wasn't worried about vampires coming in; he was more worried about a girl trying to leave.

Turning off the lights he crawled into bed. Tari closed her eyes, waiting. Sure enough, she felt the possessive arm of her father snake round her waist. She turned her head to face Damon. His eyes were closed, but she could tell he wasn't asleep.

She wasn't afraid. That worried her. Her father had just told her that he was a vampire, and she wasn't afraid of him. How messed up was that? She sighed, staring up at the ceiling. She had always known something was wrong with her.

"Tari."

She turned to him.

"Go to sleep."

**xXx **

_This time I see Mom walking down the street. Her long hair is waving back and forth and she bounds along comfortably. But I am afraid, because I know what's going to happen. _

_I reach out to grab her, but suddenly I am in a room with no doors and one window. I bang my fists against the glass and call out her name, but she doesn't hear me. "Mom, stop! Run!" Tears and streaming down my face. But she still doesn't stop; doesn't run. Instead she continues walking until he grabs her. _

_She is shaking as the vampire clutches her throat. I see him smile, and he bends down to bite her neck. She screams in pain as he continues to suck the blood from her, until there is nothing left. _

"NO!"

She leapt up, or rather, tried to. But Damon still had firm grip on her waist, so she only managed to sit up slightly before finding herself flung back down on the covers.

Damon had now been woken by her screams. He was stunned to see tears eagerly slipping from her eyes, her chest shaking from the sobs. He didn't hesitate to turn on his side and pull her closer to him, her face pressed into his chest. "It's okay," he murmured softly in her ear. "Just a dream. It was just a dream."

It took her a few minutes to stop sobbing, at least hard. She was still sniffling when she felt a hand brush her hair off her face. "Wanna tell me what it was about?" he asked.

She shook her head violently. _Oh lucky me, I get to guess. _"A vampire?"

A pause, then a nod. She hoped he wouldn't ask about anything else, but it seemed to be enough for him. "It's okay," he whispered again. "They can't hurt you, not while I'm here."

But it wasn't the vampire. Not really. No, it was seeing her _mother _being attacked by that creature.

It was seeing her mother, period.

"I want Mom," she whispered.

She felt his chest hitch to a stop, before breathing again. "I know," he said, pulling her closer to him. "I know Tari, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry that she isn't here, and I'm sorry that you're stuck with me. But I can't fix this Tari, I can't."

Tari began to sob again, harder. He continued to murmur comfortingly in his ear. "Breathe deeply," he advised her. After a few hiccups Tari did as Damon said. Half an hour later she was sleep again.

Damon gazed down at her. _Poor kid. I didn't realise just how much these nightmares were bothering her. _He sighed. _I just wish I could take it away from her. _

_Yeah right, a_ voice scoffed in his head. _Like you can deal with anymore pain. _

Damon let his mind drift back to those days when he was human, not vampire. He thought about his relationship with his own father. He and his father never had a good relationship, especially when Damon began to think for himself. As Damon got older, he got smarter; he spoke his mind and his father would be furious at him for doing so. Damon hated his father so much sometimes... A part of him was even a little annoyed that Stefan had been the one to kill him.

He didn't want that relationship with Tari. No, Damon may be a lot of things, but he would _not _be his father.

**xXx **

Tari felt arms around her, lifting her in the air. She opened her tired eyes, and through blurred vision saw the face of her father. "What time is it?" she muttered, trying to force her eyes open.

"Six a.m. It's okay, go back to sleep."

Tari was not one to object; she hadn't been sleeping well for days now. She settled into Damon's arms, feeling the slight wind as they stepped outside. She tightly closed her eyes and buried her face in Damon's clothes, not wanting to see the light. She briefly opened her eyes again when she felt him strapping her in the car, but once the door was closed she slowly began to fall back into slumber.

When she woke up the next time, she saw familiar scenery. They were on the outskirts of New York – her home. She turned round to face the driver. Damon smirked at her. "Morning sunshine."

"Are we-?"

"In New York? No, but we nearly are."

Tari looked down at her lap. During the night her mind had wandered through what Damon had told her about vampires. She wanted to ask him questions, so many of them, but she wasn't sure how he would react.

"Go on."

Tari glanced over at Damon. "Huh?"

"Ask me what you want."

"How do you know that I wanted to ask you something?"

Damon grinned. "It's what most people do when they find out about vampires. So gone on, ask." He glanced at her out the corner of his eye. "Don't pretend that you don't have any questions."

"Well, maybe just a few..." Damon chuckled.

"Go on. I don't mind."

"Okay, well... How do you die? I mean, can vampires die?"

"Sure. If we get staked in the heart, or burnt. We can be weakened too, by vervain."

"Vervain is?"

"A herb. I'm not quite sure _how _but it prevent a vampire from controlling your mind-"

"Controlling your _what_?"

"Guess I skipped that part." He seemed please with himself. "Anyway, vervain stops vampires from controlling your mind, and if a vampire drinks blood with vervain in it, it weakens them."

"Go back to the mind control part," Tari persisted.

He laughed. "Basically any vampire can compel people to do things. I'm not quite sure whether people can be convinced to die or if the survival instincts are too strong, but we can more or less convince people to do anything."

"So...you live forever?"

"Pretty much."

Tari stared at him curiously. "How old are you?"

"Twenty five."

"And how long have you been twenty five?"

Damon smirked. _I need to give her a bit more credit. _"170 years."

She felt the urge to drop her mouth. "You're 170 years old?"

"Well, technically, though my body is still twenty five."

Quietly Tari absorbed the information. It was still hard for her to wrap her head round it. _My father is a vampire. One that drinks blood and can't be killed. My _father _is a vampire. _

And then something else struck her, one that made her stomach flip.

"If you're a vampire," she began slowly, "what does that make me?"

Damon forced himself to watch where he was driving. _Damn it. I should have guessed this would come up sooner or later. _

"Damon, answer me," snapped Tari.

He sighed, preparing himself for a long explanation. "Before you I didn't actually believe that vampires could procreate. But then, your mother was pregnant with you. As far as we know, you're the only person in the world that's half vampire, half human."

"And... I'm normal?"

"Define normal."

"Damon!"

"Yes, yes Tari, as far as we can tell. You're fine in the sun; you don't have a thirst for blood... Yeah, you're normal."

Tari seemed deep in thought. For a few minutes Damon wished he could read her mind, wondering what she was thinking. Maybe this was one of the things that she did have of his: the ability to completely mask her emotions. " Did you name me?" she finally asked.

Damon knew what she was thinking. Hell, he thought about it more times than he could count.

_I stare down in the crib. She is amazingly tiny. I've never really been this close to a baby before – real life babies anyway. I mean, let's face it, who wants a vampire round their precious little clones? _

_Yet she doesn't look like me or Rebecca. I know what I look like, and Rebecca is sleeping across in the hospital bed. She just looks like a baby, a small, tiny beautiful yet insignificant child. And yet this is _my _child; my little child. In what way is she insignificant? _

_I don't feel right; I don't feel like a parent. In an attempt not to be...me, I take my leather jacket off and place in on the chair. Quietly I reach inside and lift her up in my arms. She opens her eyes, and those blue saucers stare at me. "That's it sweetheart, take a good look at me," I murmur. "You may not see me for a while." _

"_Damon." I nearly jump. How did I notice Rebecca was awake? She is sitting up, her face sweaty and her hair a mess, yet with a determined glint in her dark eyes. "Give me the baby." _

_I smirk; for the first time it feels unnatural. It's as if I am no longer who I was when I woke up this morning. "Good to see you too Rebecca."_

_She ignores me, holding out her arms. "Give her to me, Damon." _

_I roll my eyes. "Relax," I tell her, knowing she'll do anything but. "Like I would hurt her."_

_She does not relax – I can hear her heart beating twice its normal rate – but she makes a good attempt, slumping her shoulders and leaning back slightly against her pillow. "How did you know?" she asks me simply. _

"_Your mother." I grimace slightly as I sit lightly on the bed. "It's not like I had a choice here, Rebecca. She told me that if I wanted to see the sun set I had to get down here. I'm not a betting man, but if it was between Barbra Snow and a hundred vampires, I know who I'd be backing." _

_She smiles, albeit reluctantly. "Can't argue." Her eyes linger to the baby in my arms. "So... It's a girl." _

_I smile. "Yeah," I say, my voice filled with sunshine. Immediately I want to wash my mouth out for thinking something like that. "How long were you in labour for?" _

_She closes her eyes. "Seven hours." _

_I tilt my head, considering. I am aware that I am bringing this baby closer to my chest, but... I don't know, it's like a paternal instinct. "That's not bad." _

_She glowers at me. "You try it next time, see how you like it." _

_I feel a sliver of hope. "There'll be a next time?" _

_She freezes, realising what she's said. Her brown eyes lower, staring at the bed covers. I swear, my heart is beating. I hope against logic, telling myself that crazier things have happened. "Damon," she begins, lifting her gaze. _

"_Is she healthy?" I ask quickly, looking back down at my daughter; our daughter. _

_Rebecca pauses, then nods, seeming as relieved as I am to the change of subject. "The doctors can't seem to tell that she's half vampire."_

_But that doesn't mean anything. I go the window, pulling the curtains to reveal sunlight. Holding my daughter up to the rays, I watch for signs of pain. She glances out the window, clearly curious, but doesn't look as if she's hurting. I bite my own wrist (ignoring Rebecca's cry of disgust) and hold it over her. She shoves her head sideways, not wanting it. I grin, turning back to Rebecca. "Congratulations, she seems perfectly normal." _

_Her dark eyebrow rises. "C'mon Damon. Forget about your genes, she's got mine." I laugh. I always liked Rebecca; she could always make me laugh. _

"_We should name her," I suggest. _

"_What makes you think I haven't already?" _

_I simply smile in reply. "Got any names in mind?" I didn't really want to think about names; I was too obsessed thinking about Rebecca. _

"_Alice?" she asks me. I'm pleased to find she's asking my opinion. _

_I shake my head. "Too quiet for her." _

"_Kara?" _

_I consider. "Possibly." It sounds strong, and brave too. But something's holding me back. I look down at the baby. Her blue eyes are half closed, as if she didn't care that her parents were possibly making the biggest decision of her life. _

_A name comes to me, as if out of the blue. "What about Nefertari?" _

_Rebecca looks at me as if I've gone insane. "Nefertiti?" _

"_No, Nefer_tari_, 'For who the sun doth shine'" I quote. _

_I can tell Rebecca likes it by the slow smile she spreads on her face. She could hear the meaning in the name. "Nefertari's a long name," she comments. _

"_Tari for short," I say. _

_Rebecca stares at me. For some reason she isn't as nervous as she had been when I first entered the room. Perhaps – no. I won't let my mind go there. _

"_Okay," she replies, with a smile could start my heart beat. "Nefertari it is." _

_I smile, but it's quick and dismissive. I need to go now. Carefully I hand my daughter over to Rebecca and stand. "I'll see you later." Before she can stop me, I lean forward and kiss her on the cheek. I feel like a schoolboy, stealing kisses from girls. _

_I am exiting through the door as Rebecca calls for me. For one wild, crazy moment, I thought that she was going to ask me to stay. _

"_I would never keep her away from you. You can still see her, and email and talk over the phone." Both of our eyes fall on our precious girl, who is shuffling uncomfortably in her mother's arms. _Does she want me? _"You're still her father."_

_I want to say, "Like you could stop me." It's a remark that I would make. But instead I smile softly. "I never thought you would," I inform her. Before I can say something I'll regret, I bolt. _

It was hard, remembering. Damon closed his eyes, then quickly remembered he was driving. "Yeah," he answered. "I named you, but your mother knew why I chose it."

_Mom. _Tari almost forgot about her; the elephant in the car. She pulled her feet up and hugged her knees to her chest; she could almost pretend her mother was hugging her.

They spent the rest of the car ride in silence.

**xXx **

For the record, hell was a place where cars beeped their horns loudly, where homeless people eyed up the size of your wallets, and where the pavement was covered in an inch of dirt and litter.

Damon's sensitive ears were aching from all the noise. He had never really visited New York; he had visited to the cities of Europe, but not New York. He had always thought he had missed out. Now he was certain he hadn't.

"Oh yeah," said Damon sarcastically as they entered the building. "This city is perfectly safe from teenage girls."

Tari, who had taken a deep breath of fresh air ("Oh please!" said Damon) as soon as she stepped out the car, frowned. "As opposed to a small town filled with vampires?"

Damon chose to ignore this, pointing out the number of homeless people lingering outside her building. "They could attack you for money!"

"Ernie would never do that!" Tari defended as she began climbing the stairs.

"Ernie?" Damon knew that Rebecca would be behind this; making friends with homeless people! "There's more than one homeless person there."

"Yeah, but Bert wouldn't hurt me either."

Damon grabbed her arm, whirling her round. "Bert and Ernie?"

Tari smiled sweetly. "You can't make this stuff up."

"Okay," Damon began, making his next case. "What about all this pollution? All these cars in such a crammed space can't be good for you."

"There aren't that many cars," she commented, climbing up the final flight of stars.

"There are about five hundred, probably more."

"Okay fine, but there are always taxis to take you wherever you want to go."

"People who could kidnap you," Damon argued.

Tari threw her last argument out there. "You have so much more fun in New York; there are tons of things to do."

"Less time to do your schoolwork."

Coming up her floor, she started walking down the hall, still arguing with Damon. "I can't win with you!"

"You're comparing Mystic Falls to New York? No contest, Mystic Falls is a much better place to live."

"That is so not true-" Tari suddenly stopped, Damon almost colliding with her. He lifted his gaze to where his daughter was staring. It was the last door to the left, and it was slightly ajar. It just looked as if some neighbour had left the door open, except Tari's face was ashen, her eyes wide.

Instantly, Damon knew why she was standing there; why the door looked so familiar.

"Who else has the key?" hissed Damon, placing himself slightly in front of her.

Tari looked to him and then back at the door, her head jerking from left to right. "No one – Mom, Aunt Isabel, me..." Her voice trailed off. She felt afraid, and yet for one moment she felt hope. _What if she isn't dead? _

Part of her wanted to run towards the door, but Damon grabbed her. He knew what she was thinking, and he knew that he couldn't let her go.

Because he knew Rebecca was dead. He was sure. And he had compelled Isabel not to have anything to do with Tari.

Which meant that someone else was in the apartment.

**xXx **

**03/07/11: I really do love this story. I forgot how much... Anyway, I hope you liked the changes!**


	6. Going home

**Once again I am sorry for the wait. It's annoying, yes, but with all the work I have to do, unavoidable. I've got relatives over, so I thought I would take a break and get writing. **

**Hope you like this chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters save for Nefertari. **

**xXx **

**Chapter Five **

**Going home **

"Stay here," commanded Damon.

"But – it could be-" Tari didn't get to finish her sentence before Damon cut her off.

"Tari, trust me, it isn't." Holding her back, he cautiously approached the slightly open door. Before her very eyes he disappeared. She stood there, feeling as if she was going to die from fear. She had never been this scared before in her life; the slightest noise had her leaping out of her skin. She almost few as if she was going to throw up.

She checked behind her, but there was no one. Then again, if a vampire was coming after her, it would only take a second for them to snatch her away. She turned her head round and then jumped back, realising a body was right in front of her.

She placed her hand on her heart. "Damon, for God's sake, don't do that!"

His face was indifferent to this remark. He stared down at his daughter. "No one's in there...anymore. But someone has been."

"Who?" She lowered her voice. "A vampire?"

He paused, but shook his head. "I don't know. It looks just like a robbery, but then I don't know if anything's been taken."

Tari felt her heart work up to her throat. "A robbery?" Without thinking she pushed past Damon and entered the apartment that she had once called her home.

The place looked as if it was a junk yard. The sofa cushions had been torn, the stuffing all over the living room. The mahogany coffee table had been broken in half; books had pages torn out of them and tossed carelessly round the room; glass was all over the floor.

Tari gazed round, feeling her eyes fill with tears. _First Mom dies, and now someone has to go and tear apart the house. _

She took a step aimlessly, but felt a hand grab her arm. "Careful," she heard her father hiss. "There's glass."

Anger was building up inside of her, and Damon was provoking her. She snatched her arm away. "I'm wearing shoes." Turning away, she stepped towards her mother's room.

To her surprise, it was in pristine condition. Tari stood for a moment in shock before hurrying to her mother's jewellery box. Everything was there: her tacky things, her precious pearls, even her glittering diamonds. Why would a robber tear the house apart but not take the jewellery?

Damon stepped inside the bedroom. He looked somewhat out of place in the soft, pastel coloured room. The walls were lavender coloured, the covers soft and perfectly made, everything in ideal condition. Damon just looked wrong in it.

Gazing in the mirror, she saw him slowly approached. "You should go to your room. Check on your own things."

Tari replied, very quietly, "I don't want to."

Damon felt his own irritation beginning to spark. "Tari-"

"I DON'T WANT TO!" Her voice injured his sensitive ears. To her horror she felt tears falling down her eyes. When had she become such a cry baby?

Damon walked over to her, attempting to take her in his arms, but she fought against it. Her fists banged against his chest and, though they didn't hurt him physically, he could feel the pain in those attacks. Grabbing her left wrist, he pulled her towards him and held her, though she struggled in his arms.

"It's not fair! It's not _fair_! I don't want this! I don't _want _this!" He held her ever more tightly. He could hear her agony, the pain. It hurt, he knew, losing your mother, especially when you weren't ready for it.

All the time she cried, he held her. It wasn't him, this gentleness; this was Elena, this was Stefan, this wasn't him. But this moment differed from all the others because this girl, this sad sobbing girl was his daughter. His own flesh and blood... And now she had lost her mother. Now she had no one but him.

He gritted his teeth, wondering what he would have to do for her. How much he would have to change for her.

Soon he felt her legs weaken. In one swoop he had her in his arms and carried her to Rebecca's old bed. Sitting down, he pulled her onto his lap. He felt her lift her arms against his chest, weakly trying to hit him, but it was like a feather landing on him.

For an hour and a half he soothed her, stroking her dark hair, murmuring words of comfort every now and then. Only when he felt Tari's breathing even out did he let go, carefully placing her on Rebecca's bed. He saw his daughter snuggle deep into the covers of the bed. Was she able to smell her mother on the sheets as heavily as he was?

Now he bent down on the cream carpet, near the bedside table. If he knew Rebecca – and he did – then he would be right in what he was thinking.

Sure enough, when he reached underneath the table and touched the wooden ceiling, he felt the smoothness of paper. With an easy tug he ripped the tape which had held it in place. Now he lifted it close enough so he could read it.

It was a letter. On the front of it, clearly written in biro, was the name _Damon. _

**XxX **

At first Tari thought that it had all been a dream. The accident, the vampires...everything.

But it only lasted for a brief moment. She brought her hand to her face, which felt sore and stiff. She could hear Damon in the next room, moving things round. Tari couldn't bring herself to open those sliding doors and reveal herself to be awake.

Instead she looked round the room. Her mind still couldn't unravel the puzzle: why had they trashed the rest of the apartment – though she didn't know about her room – and not this room?

Part of this was killing her. So many memories resided in this room: Sunday mornings when her and her mother would have breakfast in bed; stormy nights when she would crawl into bed next to her mom. There were so many of them, and she couldn't push them away.

Standing, she went over to the bookcase. Her mother, like herself, was an avid reader. There were so many that there was barely any room to pull a book off. She raised her finger, running it along the cold spines.

It was only then that she took in the title of the books. Most of them were just normal, mundane novels, but the sections that she had been looking over were..._vampire _novels. There was Bram Stokers' _Dracula_; _Room Thirteen_; _True Blood_; the Twilight series; _The Historian_; Anne Rice's novels... Tari had never noticed the number of vampire books that her mother possessed. How had she not seen this? How come she hadn't made the connection?

_Yes, because that's what every girl would assume – that her father was a vampire. _

She heard footsteps behind her, though she refused to turn around. A thick arm came round her chest and had to take a step back, her back colliding with his body. "She knew," Tari murmured.

Damon rested his chin on her head. "Of course. Why did you think we broke up?"

"I thought you broke up for the same reason that every other child's parents break up: you weren't ready for commitment; you weren't ready to be a father; you 'just didn't gel'."

Damon chuckle. "You should pack."

Tari wished she could see her father's face. "I don't want to go," she muttered like a sulky child.

He reached up to her head, smoothing her hair. "I know." He waited for a moment, showing that he acknowledged her pain. "But you have to."

Tari closed her eyes for a moment, feeling anger well up inside her. Damon felt her tense, and immediately felt the urge to calm her down. She was already filled with fury and sorrow, he couldn't make it worse. "I can pack for you if you want."

She raised her eyes, looking round the room. "Can you pack Mom's things?"

Damon too, glanced round the room. "What, everything?"

"Everything," replied the girl. "Everything in the room that isn't tied down."

"Except the furniture."

"The sheets and the mattress."

"No!"

"Damon-"

"Tari, what the hell is the point of bringing the mattress when I have a perfectly good one at home?" He was still holding onto her, and once again placed his chin on her head. "I'll take the sheets, but that's the best I can do," he conceded. "Clothes, books, DVDs, anything that will fit in a box, fine – but not the mattress."

Tari could feel herself growing angry again, but she felt Damon's soft breath in her ear. "Calm down. You're just going to get yourself upset over nothing. Now," he said, finally releasing her, "go and pack."

**XxX **

It was hard, for the both of them. It was hard for Tari because she was boxing up all of her things, leaving behind her home; and it was hard for Damon because of all the memories. Something that could have taken him minutes took him nearly an hour.

Tari carried a box to the living room. Setting it on the coffee table, she looked back to the kitchen. Wondering if there was anything she wanted, she wandered through the cupboards. Her mother had lots of cooking utensils, but they often ordered out, even went out on occasions for breakfast, despite the fact that her mother had been a chef. _"Why do I want to cook when it's my job?" _was her reason. As a result, Tari could barely make toast.

Her eyes went to the phone. The light was flashing red, showing there had been a missed called. Without thinking twice of it, Tari went to the list and scrolled down, checking who had called. Brad, Mom's boyfriend from two months ago; a school friend or two; people from her Mom's work; and...

The name _Damon Salvatore _was on the list. Tari leant closer to read the date. She swiftly took in air as she realised that he had called at eight that morning, before they had even set off; before her mother had even decided on the idea.

Her mind began to turn. _Why did he call that day? Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't _she _tell me? _Why had Rebecca told her they were going to surprise Damon? Why not tell her he called?

What if Damon had gotten sick of not seeing her, and threatened of her mother? It was obvious that her mother knew he was a vampire, which was now the reason why they broke up; and probably the reason why Tari hadn't seen much of him throughout her life. What if he set a trap for them, so that...

_STOP IT! Damon would never do that... Would he? _

Her heart began hammering. It all seemed a little too suspicious: the death of her mother, the vampire hunting her down – and then Damon had 'oh so suddenly' rescued her.

If it had been nothing, why had neither of her parents told her about the phone call? Why had her father been so hell bent on her staying with him? _Did _he kill her mother?

"Hey." Tari jumped as Damon appeared from the other room. "Are you ready to go?"

Tari blinked. He father was a vampire – of course he had the strength to kill her mother if he wanted to. "Yeah," she said, stumbling over her words. "Almost."

Damon sighed and pulled her into a hug. Tari wanted to remain stiff and cold, but she felt herself melting into his embrace. "It's okay, Tari," she heard him murmur. He rubbed her arms, warming her cold arms. "It's going to be okay."

_Maybe_, she thought. _Maybe not. _

**XxX **

Tari was once again leaning against the cool window of the car. She was tired. She was always tired nowadays. It wasn't as if she was doing anything physically exhausting, but emotionally she felt as if she was on a wild rollercoaster, unable to get off.

Forty five minutes. Damon smirked. He thought she would give into sleep before half an hour was up; she'd hung in there for a while.

Truth be told, he was worried about her. That outburst showed him the girl had a lot of anger inside her. The loss of her mother had hurt her badly – almost as badly as it had hurt him. She was suffering, and damn it, Damon didn't know what to do. There were no painkillers that you could take to cure a broken heart.

Hours later, they arrived back in Mystic Falls. The first thing Damon did was lift her out the car and take her inside. Instantly Elena and Stefan met him at the door.

"Why the hell didn't you answer my phone calls?" said Stefan, while Elena asked, "How is she?"

Damon, as usual, ignored Stefan. "She's okay," answered Damon. "Take her upstairs, would you? I need to get her things out the car."

Without hesitation Elena took Tari in her arms. Stefan saw Damon's eyes linger on the girl as Elena turned away, carrying her up the stairs. He hid a knowing smirk as he followed his older brother outside.

Later, the three vampires sat in the living room, the warm fire crackling near them. Half of Elena's face was illuminated by the light, the other half shrouded in darkness. "What happened?"

Quickly Damon downed a glass of scotch. Elena glowered at his actions – _what a responsible parent_, she thought. "She was almost taken," he explained, sitting opposite the husband and wife. "I got there just in time. He was about to drain her blood."

Stefan and Elena exchanged a quick glance. "So she-"

"-knows?" Damon finished. "Yes."

Stefan gave a low moan, holding his head in his hands. "Great."

"She's okay," Damon said. "Just a little confused. She understands about vampires though. She's fine with it."

"Are you sure about that?"

Damon narrowed his eyes at Stefan. "What is that suppose to mean, little brother?"

"All I'm saying is that it's hard for people to adjust."

"Elena was fine!"

"After a while, yeah." He earned an indignant look from Elena for that remark.

"She'll be fine," snarled Damon, sitting down back on the armchair. "She's my daughter."

"My point exactly."

Before Damon could open his mouth, Elena said, "As long as Tari's fine, that's the main thing. Is she okay with staying here?"

Damon shrugged. Elena gave him a glare that (though Damon would never admit it) made him inwardly squirm. "She will be."

"Damon, if she doesn't want to stay here-"

"She knows that she needs to," Damon interrupted. "What would you suggest, Elena? She needs to be protected."

Elena wanted to protest, but she knew that Damon – however much she hated to admit it – was right. She sank back down in the sofa, defeated, and felt Stefan's comforting arm around her shoulders.

"I'm going upstairs," he said, leaving Stefan and Elena. No doubt they would talk about Damon, if what he was doing was "morally correct". But Damon couldn't care less. He was right: they knew it, he knew it, and more importantly, Tari knew it.

**xXx**

Tari waited three minutes, counting to 180, to make sure Elena left. Cautiously she opened her eyes, gathering her senses. She knew that she would only have five minutes, tops, to search her father's room.

She didn't know what she was looking for; she didn't have a clue. She opened up to drawers, but only found clothes – mostly black, of course. In the small amount of books she checked, there was no hidden document.

She listened hard. She could still hear Damon talking to the others – at least, that's what it sounded like. _I'll have to check later_, she thought, trying to stifle a moan. She went over to the bottle of scotch, wishing that she could have some. She probably wouldn't even like it, but if it gave her relief...

Her eyes wandered over the desk, and then froze. She lifted the pad up to her face, her eyes over the markings on the pad. It had been made through the last page, which her father had ripped off. If she looked hard enough, she could make out the word _Rebecca. _

A creak in the stairs, and she was back where she had been laid. She tried to focus on breathing clearly, hoping that Damon's vampire hearing would not notice. She heard the door open and close, and then footsteps coming towards her. It took everything for her not to react to this.

A hand brushed over her face. "Tari," he murmured, watching her eyes flutter open. "You should get changed for bed."

Tari sat up slowly. "When am I going to have my own room?" She wanted to get out from under her father's eye as soon as possible; it would be easier for her to start sneaking around, looking for evidence.

"We'll start sorting it out tomorrow," he said smoothly. His blue eyes then focussed in on her face. Tari tried to look away, but he placed on hand on her chin, directing her face to look up to his. "As long as you don't try to run away again, otherwise they'll be consequences."

The seriousness in his eyes scared her. Quickly she nodded, and Damon's features relaxed. "Good girl. Now, you should get changed into your pyjamas."

Trying to keep calm, she stood up and went to the bathroom to change. Was she scared of him? Yes, a little. But she could manage. She needed to act like the perfect little girl, the one that Damon could trust. Once she found out what happened to her mother, then she could exact revenge. Even if it was her father.

When she came outside, Damon had already changed on was in bed, reading a book. She crawled under the heavy covers and turned away from Damon, trying to sleep despite her nerves. She didn't trust Damon; that she was sure of.

_Slow down your heartbeat, _Tari told herself. _If this theory of yours is true, then he had a chance to kill you. He's not going to now. _You _weren't his target. _

A second later she heard the light switch off. Once again Damon's arm wrapped round her waist, forcing her to lie flat. She didn't struggle, though she wanted to. Right now she wanted to run as fast as she could.

A kiss was planted on her forehead, almost making her start in surprise. It was the first time he had ever kissed her. "Goodnight," he murmured in her ear, settling down on the bed. Within a few minutes he seemed to be asleep.

Tari inwardly sighed. For the unforeseeable future, she would be living with her father. There was no escaping that. _Unless... _

The girl began to move around, testing how far she could get.

For one moment, she felt the amazing relief; the hope of being able to flee, or at least be able to get up to get some water. But then Damon's arm tightened round her waist. He squeezed her so tight that all the breath left for her body; for an instant she felt true as she couldn't breathe. The fear stretched the time she couldn't breathe, making it feel like minutes when it was only moments before his muscles relaxed again. She gulped in air, relieved.

Tari couldn't help but wonder if it was a warning.

**xXx **

**03/07/11: Not my best chapter, but I think I've improved on it. Anyway, hope you liked it!**


	7. Finally, some fun

**This OFFICALLY the longest chapter I have written! I am so pleased! I can't believe I actually wrote this much. **

**I am going to apologise right here and now for any mistakes: I had a blocked nose last night which woke me up at 4:45 a.m. after falling asleep at 22:45 I'm pretty tired and dizzy right now. So I may not have written it so well... I have proof-read it (as usual) but sometimes you can miss things.**

**Anyway, I hope it's good. It's not such a gloom-and-doom chapter this time, so I hope you like it. Thank you for the reviews (they make me SMILE!) and please review and let me know what you think of this new "happier" chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill, or any of the characters in EITHER programme; Tari, Allen and Liam, however, are all mine! **

**XxX**

**Chapter Six **

**Finally, some fun**

Tari sat on her bed, and took a moment to survey her new room. This was her first night in her new bed; in her new room.

Damon had promised that they would have her room done the day after the two came back, but it was her third night back here before she had finally moved into her own bedroom. She didn't think he trusted her, but that was fine, because she didn't trust him either.

Not that she hadn't been welcomed here: Stefan and Elena were nice and considerate to her, though Stefan was a little too serious. Even Damon had done his best to make her feel at home. All three of them had helped decorate her room, what with their speed and strength. And finally Damon had relented, allowing her to spend her first night in her room.

It was the biggest room, aside from Damon and Elena and Stefan's room. It had its own bathroom, though it was tiny and didn't have a bath, only a shower. She had her own desk and a bookshelf. She had never had so many books before in her life: there were her own books as well as her mother's. She didn't have a television, but she could live without it; she had her computer.

There was a quick knock on the door, and Damon entered. Tari didn't expect him to wait for her to answer. "It's getting late. You should be asleep."

Tari learnt that, with Damon, it was best to be direct. "It's only ten. These two nights you've been back after midnight."

"I'm a hundred and seventy years old; I've earned the right to do what I want." He sat on the bed, holding out a small box for her. Opening it, Damon pulled out a silver necklace. It was larger than other necklaces she liked to wear, with lines over it. There was also a little red ruby on the top. Tari didn't want to like it, but she did.

"This is the vervain necklace," explained Damon. He gestured for her to turn around and placed it round her neck. Tari almost felt as if it was a way to keep her with him. She always felt so uneasy: sometimes she thought herself crazy for believing that Damon would harm her mother; other times she reminded herself that she didn't guess he was a vampire – what else didn't she know about him?

"It keeps you from being compelled." Damon's voice came back to her.

"I'm half vampire; can I even be compelled?"

"I did it."

Tari whirled round. "What? When?"

"When you were hysterical, after I told you your mother died. I compelled you to go to sleep."

She stared at him for a moment, calculating. "Have you ever done it to me before?"

He shook his head. "Never needed to before."

"And you're not going to do it again?"

He sighed, rolling his blue eyes. "No Tari, I am not going to do it again, okay?" Before Tari could say another word, he lifted her up in the air. In an instant, he had her under the covers of the bed. He moved so fast Tari wasn't even sure what happened.

"Bedtime," he informed her firmly. He stared at her for a long moment. "Remember what you promised?" he asked her quietly.

Unexplained fear penetrated her. It wasn't as if he was being threatening, but all the same... Quickly she nodded, and was rewarded with a smile. He kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep well."

**XxX **

_I stumble, but immediately get back up. I can't stop running, though my legs are aching and I can't catch my breath. But I can't stop running. I know my mother is somewhere beyond the forest, and I need to get to her. Besides which, if I stop, _he _will get me. _

_But I trip and fall. I crawl on the ground, trying to find a good place to hide. But then I find cold hands on my hips, and suddenly I am turned upwards. Red eyes meet me, fangs hanging out his mouth. He smirks as he sinks his teeth into my neck. _

Tari jumped up, sending a pillow to the floor. She quickly looked round, making sure it wasn't real. Once she had reassured herself, she brought her knees up to her chest. She didn't even feel tired anymore.

She hated these dreams – or nightmares. But she couldn't keep them away. How did you stop nightmares? She debated on going on the internet, but decided she wouldn't do it tonight. _I should try and get some rest_, she told herself. The lack of sleep was taking its toll on her; she was actually getting _used _to the dark circles under her eyes.

Her mind wandered, reminding her of how she used to try and leave. But she knew that was pointless – where the hell was she going to go? It was quite obvious that Damon could find her. _No point_, she thought, closing her eyes. _Besides, you promised._

She began drifting off, almost falling asleep, when she heard it.

_Tari... Tari... _

The girl froze. The breath in her body halted; she didn't move. She _couldn't _move.

_Tari... _

The girl sat up slowly. It couldn't be her imagination. Someone was calling her... _But I've never heard it before. _She covered her ears with her hands, but the voice was still echoing through her head.

_This is crazy_. Her heart was racing. _I've lost it. Maybe this is all a dream, and I'll wake up back home in New York. _

_Tari..._the voice hissed; she couldn't ignore it. It was like a cross between a hiss and a whisper. _Tari... _

"I need to get Damon," Tari whispered. No matter what was going on between the two of them, he would protect her.

Unsure whether this..._thing _was inside the house, Tari crept out of bed. She wasn't use to her new room yet, so she caught her foot on her desk. Stifling a groan, she carefully opened the door. It creaked; she flinched.

But she couldn't help but notice that the voice got louder. She paused: it would be stupid to go and discover the source of the noise alone, but... _Well, I am part vampire._

She walked down the stairs, the voice growing louder with every step she took. By the time she got to the bottom, it was painful for her ears. "It hurts," she murmured, her eyes firmly closed. It almost hurt to peel her eyes open.

There, right in front of her, was the door. Just taking one step further caused the noise to get louder.

She stepped forward, hand trembling as it reached out to unlock the door. The voice was almost screaming at her now, causing her ears to nearly burst. _TARI... TARI... TARI... _

With a low growl the girl shot back from the door. She stumbled along the floor, turning away and heading into the living room. She was feeling sick to the stomach from fear; her legs could barely hold her up.

After a few deep breathes, she cautiously lifted her hands away from her ears. The silence sounded foreign to her. She put her hands over her ears again, but the voice didn't come back.

"What's going _on_?"

"Tari?"

The girl leapt out of her skin, letting out a gasp of air. She spun round, swinging her arm out in the dark. It was grabbed by the wrist. In fear, Tari tried to pull away, but the grasp was too strong.

Light suddenly met her eyes, and she blinked. Damon stood before her, his dark hair ruffled and his eyes tired but somehow alert at the same time. Tari's heart gave out in relief; she thought she was going to collapse.

Her father stared at her. Tari could see that, for once, Damon Salvatore was confused. "What are you doing?" he asked the girl, whose hand was over her chest.

Under her father's glaring eye, Tari felt the overpowering urge to lie. He was clearly wondering whether she had broken her promise; whether she had been planning to run away again.

"I was just getting some water," she told him. She ran a hand through her messy hair, trying to seem relaxed.

Damon stared at her, his eyes confused. For a moment Tari was sure he had seen through her; she was certain he would take her upstairs after yelling at her for trying to runaway again – she hadn't even been sure _what _she was doing. But instead he turned away to the kitchen. He pulled a glass out the cupboard and turned the tap. The silence was only interrupted by the sound of the water.

After what seemed like hours, he finally switched the water off and handed her the glass of water. "Thanks," she muttered quietly, her eyes downcast.

Damon watched as she delicately sipped her water. "Another nightmare?"

It wasn't a lie, after all. "Yes."

He sighed, stepping forward. Through limited light she saw him raise his hand, smoothing her hair. "They're not going away, are they?"

Tari shook her head. "What can I do to stop them?"

Damon shrugged, still running his hand through his hair. "I don't know. They'll go eventually."

"You sound so casual," Tari growled. "You don't have to live through them."

"They're not real," he murmured comfortingly. "Now, go to _bed_."

"Why are you so obsessed with going to bed?"

"Some of my happiest moments were in bed," he said, smirking. "Or are you forgetting how you got here?"

"Eww!" Tari held her hands up to her ears. "Stop speaking, please!"

"Only if you go to sleep," Damon said, offering a bargain.

"Fine," said Tari, turning away as she walked up the stairs. For a moment, a strange feeling came over her. She almost didn't recognise it as happiness.

**XxX **

Early morning light filtered through the window. Leaning against the doorframe, Damon watched his daughter sleep. She was curled in a ball, facing him, her dark hair spilling over her pillow.

Damon wished Rebecca had never died. Not just for the obvious reasons, but because it put Tari in his care. And Damon was feeling things he had strove hard not to feel ever again.

_She's beautiful, _Damon thought, not believing the word fully described her. _So much like her mother. _Sometimes she made him so angry, he wanted to lock her up in her bedroom and throw away the key; another times – like now – he wanted to watch her sleep, stroke her hair, hold her, reassure everything was going to be okay.

But he couldn't; as much as he wanted to, he couldn't. He could, however, take care of her in other ways.

He shrugged on his leather jacket. Pausing for a moment, he bent down and kissed her forehead. She stirred, but didn't wake up. Staring at her for a moment, he turned away.

**XxX **

Tari peered out the window. She could see Elena and Stefan in the garden, planting (Elena) and drinking lemonade (Stefan). She smiled slightly before turning away, grabbing her purse as she went.

She was sick of staying inside; sick of seeing the same old people every day. She was a girl from New York; she was use to people shrieking drunkenly outside her window, cars beeping, pizza delivery men knocking on the door. She craved the bustle and hustle of the city life; not the tranquil of a town.

As quiet as she possibly could, the girl carefully opened the door and slipped outside. Luckily Stefan and Elena were too distracted by each other to notice. She was, after all, grounded, time added on for running off to New York. Damon would not be pleased.

Before she knew it she was in the centre of the town. Tari breathed in, relaxed. She was relieved to find that people didn't look at her strangely; didn't notice that she was half vampire. She almost felt normal.

**XxX **

The door opened, and Damon plastered a sarcastic grin on his face. "Well, if it ain't little Miss Sunshine."

The woman, mid-thirties, leant against the doorway, knowing that she was safe; there was no way in hell she was inviting him in. "Damon Salvatore. What brings the devil to my home?"

He sighed exaggeratedly. "Well, I hate to ask, but-"

"No. I'm not doing you a favour Damon – people always get hurt."

"This is to _stop _people from getting hurt. Or rather, one person."

"And no doubt cause pain to a thousand others, or have you forgotten the tomb incident?" Her voice was filled with hate and bitterness which he expected.

She was about to shut the door in his face when he asked, "How's your son?"

She froze, widening the door slightly. "What?"

He shrugged. "I was just wondering how he was. He's fourteen, right? Coincidently the same age as my daughter-"

Her mouth almost dropped open. "You have a _daughter_?"

"Yes. And I think, her being part vampire, she should have a good night's sleep to make the right decisions during the day."

After deep thought, Bonnie Bennett stepped out on the porch in defeat. "What do you need?"

**XxX**

It was 12:09 p.m., and the girl was starving. She slipped into a bar – the Mystic Grill, it was called. Sitting down on a table by herself, she ordered a steak sandwich and coke.

When the waitress brought her the food, she dropped the napkin on the floor. Bending down, she picked it up – almost colliding with a teenage boy.

"Sorry!" said Tari, putting her hand out in apology. "I'm known for my clumsiness."

The dark skinned boy smiled. He had deep, chocolate brown eyes and coco brown hair. He had a nice smile, she noticed, like he hadn't seen any pain. _Lucky him. _ "No worries." He surveyed her. "Are you new here?"

She blinked. "How do you know that?"

"In this town, people notice when someone new turns up."

"Someone hot," a voice from behind her answered. Tari turned round, seeing light brown and dark blue eyes. He had a heart-shaped face and more muscles than the first boy. He too, was incredibly cute.

"Thanks," said Tari. She felt herself coming into her element. In New York you could meet people and spend the entire night with them, and then sometimes you would either part ways or remain friends. And people in New York made comments like this: living in New York, you were all freaks.

The first boy sat at the table. "Got a name?"

"Tari." She didn't want to reveal her full name; no need in telling them she was a Salvatore or her full name was Nefertari.

The second boy sat down next to her; she wasn't surprised. "I'm Liam."

"Allen," replied the first boy. Liam leant forward and snatched some fries from her plate. Tari knew she had been spending too much time with the Salvatores when she wanted to growl at him. Instead she slapped his hand away.

"If you're eating this then you can pay."

Liam made eye contact with Allen, who turned his head to an upcoming waitress. "Can we get two cheeseburgers, extra fries and a tuna salad? Oh, and two cokes and a mineral water please."

Tari raised an eyebrow. "You two are eating all that food?"

"We're having the cheeseburgers and some of the fries," Allen replied.

A feeling of dread came over her. "Who's the tuna salad for?"

"Me." Tari turned her head; a slim girl with long straight caramel coloured hair was standing behind them. She was wearing blue denim shorts – _very _short – and a skimpy black top. Tari immediately felt intimidated: the girl, with her green eyes and sharp nose. She looked like a complete snob.

The girl filled the space between Allen and Liam. She raised her eyes to meet Tari's. "I'm Sawyer."

"My cousin," Liam added.

"Who are you?" she asked Tari.

"She's Tari," Allen said for her. Tari smiled at him a little gratefully, though she was wondering if they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

Sawyer's mouth curved into a smile. "Short for Nefertari, 'for who the sun doth shine'?"

_Wow, beauty _and _brains. What does this girl _not _have? _"Yeah."

"When did you arrive in this town?"

She felt as if she was being interrogated. Tari had always been good with guys: you could say whatever you were thinking with them and it didn't matter. Girls, on the other hand, held grudges; they verbally attacked one another; whatever they did hurt worse than any beatings you could get from a fight. "Two weeks ago."

The drinks arrived; Sawyer took a sip of her mineral water. "How come I haven't seen you around?"

"I've been back and forth from New York."

Allen looked over. "You're from NY?"

Tari nodded.

"Cool!" Liam declared. "Have you eaten in that restaurant where it spins?"

Tari grinned. "For my tenth birthday. And I've been to the Empire State Building too, though it's pretty overrated after the twelfth time."

They continued talking. Tari found it increasingly easier the longer she talked. The conversation was mostly about New York, though they would chip in about other things now and again.

When they had all finished, the waitress brought them the bill. Tari's eyes widened in shock. "I can't afford this!" She had brought money with her, though not enough for all of this.

Luckily Sawyer lifted her bag on the table. "C'mon guys," she said to the others. "Chip in."

Liam looked to Tari. "Come with us."

Her eyes moved over the three of them. "Seriously?" They all nodded, though Sawyer was hesitant. "Where?"

Allen winked at her. "You'll see."

**XxX **

After he finished explaining, Damon leant back in his seat. Bonnie's dark eyes were filled distrust, but at least she hadn't shot him down.

"I don't want to get into conflict with another witch Damon."

"You won't. You've got to help Bonnie. Can't you do something, like, not so direct?"

She tilted her head, staring into the distant. "The nightmares are waking her up," she said slowly. "And that's when they get in her head. Or rather, get in her head when she's conscious."

Damon's quick mind followed her lead. "So if we stop her having the dreams, she won't wake up, then they can't control her mind when she's conscious."

The dark haired woman stood up. "Wait here," she commanded, and she walked back inside the house.

She was gone for at least half an hour. Irritated, Damon wondered whether she hadn't taken this opportunity to run. In normal circumstances he would have snapped but, remembering his daughter, he forced himself to be patient.

He hadn't seen Bonnie properly in years. Before Elena and Stefan became engaged, they got along pretty well. But when Elena announced she was marrying Stefan and becoming a vampire, Bonnie flipped. She had accepted Caroline becoming a vampire because, well, that couldn't be helped; but Elena choosing to become a vampire? Bonnie couldn't take that. She was so angry she didn't even come to their wedding. Hell, even Damon had been there and God knows he had enough of a reason not to be.

But by that point, he'd met Rebecca. Everything had changed then.

Bonnie was surprised, but didn't show it when she came back. She was holding a dream catcher, made of orange and purple cloth. Damon stared at the item in her hand. "You're kidding me."

"I've bewitched it. If a witch _is _entering her mind, then this will stop it. Hang it over her bed; it's the safest place."

Damon nodded, showing understanding. He took the dream catcher from her and started down the stairs of the porch. His good manners kicked in, and he turned to her. "Thank you Bonnie."

Bonnie's eyes widened. _Did Damon Salvatore just say thank you? _"It was for your daughter, not you." With that, she shut the door before she could be convinced to do any more work for the devil.

**XxX **

"This is what you three do?" She watched as Allen took his shirt off, revealing his chest. It was muscular, though not as much as Liam's, who was already in the lake.

Her three new friends – if she could call them that – took her to a secluded area in the forest. In the middle was the prettiest lagoon she had ever seen. It looked so calm and serene that Tari felt her blood pressure lowering.

"What, you never been swimming before?" This, of course, came from Sawyer. The girl had revealed her brown and pink flowered bikini. She was thin enough to be a model, her skin flawless. What didn't this blonde have?

"In a heated pool." She paused for effect. "On the roof."

Allen snorted with laughter. "You coming in?"

"I don't have a swimsuit."

Liam, of course, heard this. "You don't need a swimsuit."

"I don't think so." She began to lay down on the grass. "I'll just sunbath."

Allen jumped in the lake. Tari closed her eyes, breathing deep. It was nice, to be away from the stifling Salvatore house. Somehow it was easier just to relax.

"So," a voice from above her said. "Why did you move here?"

Tari opened her eyes to see Sawyer over her. Was it just her, or was this girl being a bitch? It was implied anyway.

She decided to give her the truth – why try to lie to her anyway? "My Mom died."

It was amazing, the transformation that it made. Immediately her green eyes softened; in fact her entire face did. Sympathy was evident on her face. "I'm sorry." She sounded sincere. "Is it recent?"

"She died two weeks ago, if that's what you mean." Tari wished she could take back the words. She sounded so aggressive.

To her surprise Sawyer smirked. "The whole defensive, 'I want no sympathy' thing – been there, done that." She sat down next to Tari. "My mom had cancer a few years back. She's fine now," Sawyer said quickly, "but when she told me, it was like the end of the world. Plus, her mom died when she was nine years old, plus her birth mother when she was eighteen." At Tari's confused look, she laughed a little. "Confusing, I know. Anyway, I know what you're going through."

"I'm sorry," Tari said, softly. "About your mom, I mean. Cancer's rough."

Sawyer grinned. "No sweat." She stood up, heading for the pool. "If you want to join, be my guest. Though you may have to put up with Liam ogling at you."

"I do not ogle!" Liam called. He probably would have said more but he and Allen were having a water fight, so he was distracted. "But, yeah, if you want to join..."

Tari leant back down as Sawyer jumped in the cool water. _Okay, so maybe she's not so bad. _She wondered what had made her so defensive at first, but decided not to dwell on it. They were okay, and that was the main thing.

Time seemed to pass quickly. Tari, still tired from lack of sleep, dozed in the warm sun. She was woken, however, by suddenly being lifted in the air. With a shriek she realised Liam was lifting her in the air. "What are you doing?" she screamed.

He grinned cheekily at her. "I said you were hot. I think you need to cool down."

"No!"

He reached into her pockets, taking out her phone and iPod. This was when she knew he was deathly serious. "No! Don't, Liam!" she cried, though she was half laughing.

"Can't swim?" he asked teasingly.

Allen looked over from Sawyer, who was floating on the surface. "Relax girl," he called, wandering over. "I'll catch you."

Tari's eyes widened. "You won't."

"C'mon, don't you trust me?"

"I haven't known you for longer than five hours!"

"Then this will be the test," he replied smartly. He held out his hands and nodded at Liam. The latter began to swing the girl in the air.

"My clothes will get wet!" she cried.

"The water's shallow; they won't sink you down."

With a final swing backwards, Liam threw her in the air. Tari tried to overcome the terror and just take in the feeling of flying through the air. She closed her eyes at the blurred scenery, only to feel slight wetness on her back.

Everything stopped moving. Very slowly she opened her eyes. Dark brown ones were looking down at her. "You caught me," she stammered.

His easy smile stunned her, an involuntary action. "I told you."

She wasn't so wet, to her surprise – that was until Liam leapt in, splashing her. "Hey!"

Sawyer chimed in, splashing the three of them. "Water fight!"

Tari couldn't help it; for once she allowed herself to let go, enjoying herself. Maybe it was because she had _finally _met some kids her own age. She found herself pulling Liam down in the water, joining Sawyer in her attack to Allen. She couldn't remember laughing so much in a long time.

Finally the four teenagers stumbled up the bank. Tari picked up her phone and iPod, glancing at the time. "Fuck!"

"Language kid," Liam chastised, drying his hair with his towel.

"That's the time?" Tari continued as if she hadn't heard him. "My dad's going to kill me!" At the blank looks she received, she informed them, "I was meant to be grounded." She stared down at her wet clothes. "What the hell is he going to think?"

There was silence for a moment. "Here." Sawyer threw her top to Tari. "Put my clothes on; I don't mind going home like this."

Tari stared at her for a moment. "You sure?"

Sawyer nodded firmly. "Don't worry about it." She turned her attention to Liam and Allen, who were watching the two girls. "Turn around."

"But – c'mon Sawyer! I never see a girl apart from you change and, well, it's not so fun when she's your cousin."

"Round! You too Bennett!"

Allen nodded, holding up a hand. He took Liam's shoulder, turning him round too. "We're not looking, okay?"

Quickly Tari changed, every now and then checking the trees, sure that some pervert was watching her. "I'm done," she called as she pulled the top over her head. Slipping on her dry shoes, she called out a goodbye.

Sawyer watched the girl leave before turning to her two best friends. "I like her," she said decisively. "She's got moxie."

Liam nodded. "She's fun," he said indifferently. "Could be a laugh, and she's hot."

Allen glanced over to Sawyer. "What did she say?"

The girl's eyes softened. "Her Mom died two weeks ago. She'll be grieving."

Liam winced. "Ouch."

But Allen stared after her with a different thought in his head. _I wonder what she's hiding. _Instead he shrugged it off. One way or another, he'd find out. It wasn't like she could stop him.

**XxX **

Elena tapped her fingernails against the wooden table. "Try her mobile again."

"I just tried it fifteen minutes ago." Stefan was pacing up and down. "I can't believe she ran off _again_. Do you think-"

"Don't even say it. I don't want to even _think _about what Damon would do to us if she's run off to New York again."

"She didn't take the car."

"Maybe she's smarter this time; maybe she got the bus."

Stefan held his head in his hands. "Damon," he moaned, "is going to kill us."

The front door opened; Stefan and Elena leapt up, but were disappointed as they were greeted by Damon. "Hey," he called. When he looked away Stefan and Elena sent each other anxious looks.

"Hi." Elena looked wildly at Stefan and then back at Damon. "What have you been doing today?"

"Just getting something to stop Tari's nightmares." He started walking upstairs. "Is she in her room?"

The couple exchanged horrified looks. "I want to be buried," Elena hissed as they began following Damon, "in case I'm not actually dead. His aim might be off."

Stefan ignored her, hurrying up the stairs after his brother. "Hey, Damon, do you want to shoot some pool?"

Damon looked at his brother in surprise. "Okay, sure. Let me just see to Tari."

Stefan felt panic rise as Damon knocked on the door. "Damon-"

He pushed open the door. "Tari?" he called to the empty room.

Elena took a deep breath. Truth time. "Look, Damon-"

"Hey." Stefan, Elena and Damon simultaneously turned to the bathroom. Tari came out of the bathroom in her pink dressing down. "I was just in the shower."

"Hi," Damon greeted his daughter. Tari looked behind him to Elena and Stefan. Elena's face was one of pure relief while Stefan's glance was murderous. "How's your day been?"

She shrugged. "Oh, this and that."

Stefan and Elena left the room. Damon stood on the bed, hanging the dream catcher from the top. "What did you do?"

Damon shrugged, just like his daughter had. "This and that." His voice made it clear that he wasn't going to tell her anything.

Tari gently tugged on of the feathers on the dream catcher. "What's this for?"

Damon smirked. "To stop the nightmares." On spur of the moment, he pulled the girl into a hug. She felt how tight he held her, his breath on the top of her head; could feel how much he actually loved her.

"By the way," he muttered in her ear. "You're grounded for the rest of the summer."

She pulled away from him. "What?"

He smirked, feeling victory running through him. "I'm not just a pretty face: I saw you sneaking in through the back, and the panicked looks on Stefan and Elena's faces." He walked out the room. "And this time I expect my rules to be followed!"

**XxX **

Bonnie sipped her red wine, staring at the fireplace. She wondered about Damon's daughter: what would she be like? Would she be a bitch like her father? And how would this half vampire fit into life with the Salvatores?

The door opened and closed. Bonnie turned, a smile on her face – even if it was slightly forced. "Hi," she greeted him. "How was your day?"

Allen shrugged. "It was fine." As a teenage boy, he didn't share his feelings with his mom. Besides, he had things to think about. "I'll be in my room."

Bonnie turned back to the fireplace. _One thing's for sure: Damon's devil spawn is not going anywhere near _my _kid. _

**XxX **

Tari finished brushing her dark hair. Now she tied it back into a ponytail for the fifth time. Knowing she could no longer stall, she went to the bed. The covers were freshly made, looking warm and inviting, but Tari knew better.

Damon walked into the bedroom. "So," he asked her, "what did you _really_ do today?"

"I went to the Grill." After all, it wasn't a lie. "I got some food, wandered round the town. It seems nice."

He raised an eyebrow at his daughter. "This from the girl who was worried this place was going to be dull."

"Maybe not," she said, more to herself than to him.

Damon pulled her too him, kissing her on the forehead. "Goodnight." He felt her instantly tense at the word. He gave her hand a tight squeeze. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

He was walking out when he placed the glass of water on the table. Turning back, she saw the serious look on his face. "In case you get thirsty. Now you don't have to leave the room."

Once he had left, she collapsed on the bed. _One moment he's Mr Nice Guy, then the next he's saying something while implying another. I don't _get _him! _

She lifted her head to the pillows. _This should make sleeping a lot easier. _

**XxX **

For the second time that day, Damon leant against the doorframe. He watched his daughter sleep. Two a.m., and still not a peep out of her. He smiled, pleased with himself; looks like the witch did a good deed.

He waited in her room in case she ended up having a nightmare, but still nothing, not even when the sun rose. He couldn't help but grin as he left the room when she began to stir.

Tari slowly opened her eyes. She stared round the room, a little stunned; she had actually slept through the entire night. She smiled at the window, seeing the sun in the sky. Lifting her hand, she played with the feathers on the dream catcher. _What d'you know? Damon's plan actually worked. _

She didn't know how much.

**xXx **

**03/07/11: Another revision. I'm enjoying this story too much to stop. Hope you liked the improved version! **


	8. First day of the rest of your life

**Yay! LONGEST chapter yet! A new record!**

**I know this fic isn't Delena centred – or Delena at all, but I HAVE to recommend this to you: **_**Elena and Damon –Someone to Love **_**posted by Kinna333. If you love sappy songs, Shayne Ward, or Delena – or all three, you should check it this video! It's BRILLIANT! If you've read any of my other stories, then you will know by now I am a HUGE Delena fan. Check out the video – you won't regret it. **

**Anyway, so I hope you enjoy this new chapter; I know it took a long time but I think it turned out really well. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill, or any of the characters; however, Tari, Allen, Liam, and Mr Herman are ALL mine (hint: the last will play a bigger role in future chapters). **

**XxX **

**Chapter Seven **

**First Day of the rest of your life**

No kid is excited to go to school – that is, with the exception of Tari. She had been going crazy staying in the Salvatore house. Okay, she could bear it – for a while. But she was just relieved to be going out to breathe fresh air. So what if it was at school?

There was a knock on her door. By the way the person waited for her to answer, she knew it wasn't Damon. "Come in!" she called, and the dark haired Elena stepped in the room.

She handed Tari a coffee. "Nervous about your first day?"

Strangely, Tari wasn't. She had met Allen, Liam and Sawyer. It _was _possible that they would act as if she had a strange tropical disease and pretend like they had never met... But Tari was living with vampires – school should be a snap.

Right?

"Not really," was her reply. "I can't imagine Mystic Falls High School is any worse than what the kids in New York did to each other."

Elena tried to imagine what her high school days had been like, but all she could remember was Stefan coming and then Damon making an appearance, and then the school dances and Klaus. "You're probably right." She turned around, walking out the room. "Stefan's making breakfast."

Stefan wasn't use to cooking, though both he, Damon and Tari preferred him to Elena. The only times Tari had tried eating Elena's food was when she had just lost her mother; after that she had only smelt the cheese on the toast and almost thrown up. It was ironic: the once-human and half-vampire were the ones that should stay out of the kitchen, while the brothers who hadn't eaten food in nearly a hundred and fifty years were the chefs in the house.

The youngest Salvatore was surprised to see his older brother stumble down the stairs. "Damon," greeted his brother as he slouched onto the seat.

"Stefan," replied Damon. He winced at the sunlight. "How do people even cope getting up this early? It's inhuman."

"Which begs the question, why _are_ you up this early? I mean, I know you're a vampire, but don't you take it a little too far, not getting up 'till noon?"

"I heard you and Elena getting up. I couldn't fall back to sleep after that."

Stefan accepted the excuse, though he didn't believe it. He and Elena got up at this time every day, yet on Tari's first day of school Damon woke up early? Stefan smirked at his brother knowingly, saying what he thought silently. Damon sneered in response and grabbed a piece of bacon. "At least your cooking is better than Elena's."

"You don't need to eat," Stefan reminded him.

"I can still smell. Elena's food-"

"Elena's food is what, Damon?" asked Elena, who had appeared like lightning.

Stefan would have stuttered, at once complementing his wife. But Damon wasn't his brother. "Your food is the reason I'm glad I drink blood."

"My food isn't that bad."

"You're right; it's horrific. Thank God I have another option. Right?" Damon asked Stefan.

Stefan looked from Elena to Damon in alarm. He either told his wife that he didn't like her cooking or he lied, which interfered with his morals. "I... Well, the thing is-"

"Morning!" Tari called, coming down the stairs.

Damon smirked at Stefan, instant communication between the two. _Saved by the bell. _He turned his attention to his daughter. "Ready for your first day?"

Tari shrugged, grabbing a piece of bacon just like Damon had moments before. "Not really," she answered. She grabbed another two pieces and started to back away. "I've got to go."

"What?" Elena glanced at the clock. "But you've got just under an hour."

"Yeah, but I need to walk there and find it, plus get all the forms filled out."

"I can drive you," Damon said. Elena glanced over quickly, but hid her surprise a moment later. Stefan, however, was not.

"Or I can," Elena offered. "I'm going out on my way to work."

"Or I can drive myself." Stefan, Elena and Damon all gave her reprimanding looks. Tari liked them, she did, but sometimes it felt as if she had three parents. "Or not," she muttered.

"Sit and have breakfast," commanded Damon, nodding at the stool beside him. "No one else but you eats human food."

"Then why are you?" Stefan shot back.

"Sometimes blood just doesn't hit the right spot," Damon answered, smirking.

Tari rolled her eyes. "Living with you three is going to make me weird," she said, taking a seat.

"You never had a craving for blood?" teased Damon. "Never stared at a human with a cut knee and felt your fangs grow?"

"Not recently, no." Tari dipped a bit of sausage in her egg and stuffed it in her mouth. "Then again maybe they'll be a blood bank and I'll feel the urge. Like in _Twilight._"

Damon and Stefan simultaneously groaned. "Don't mention that stupid book. That gives a bad name to vampires everywhere."

"As opposed to the name you give them?"

He smirked. "I give vampires a _great _name. Unlike that idiot sparkling Cullen."

Stefan laughed lightly. "Sparkling. She's definitely not Anne Rice, that's for sure."

"It's not so bad," Elena said, munching on a sausage. "I think its original, having a good vampire in the story."

"Vampires that sparkle? Vampires that don't kill? They're not vampires!" Here Damon shot a look to Stefan, who stuck his tongue out over his coffee. Tari watched in confusion, but then gave up: Damon obviously had a history with Stefan – they were brothers after all. Still, it didn't seem anything sinister, so she left it. She wasn't in the mood to decipher their implied meanings.

Damon and Elena were still arguing when Tari quietly finished her breakfast. "Well, I'll see you guys at four then."

"Wait," Damon called. "I thought we were giving you a lift."

"We?" Elena asked.

"I can give you a lift too."

"But I need to go now," Tari interrupted. "And you're not dressed."

Damon disappeared, and Tari groaned. "I wish you lot wouldn't keep doing that."

"It could be worse," Stefan pointed out. "We could compel you to be the best behaved teenager."

"Good point." A second later Damon was back down in the kitchen, dressed in blue jeans and a white buttoned shirt, different from his usual black attire.

"What, you run out of black shirts?" Stefan teased.

Damon rolled his eyes, landing them on Elena. "You coming?"

She shook her head. "I want to come back from lunch. I'll just take my car."

Damon nodded, walking after his daughter. "Wait a minute!" called Stefan, suddenly leaning on the counter. "That's my shirt!" The bang of the door was the reply to Stefan's statement.

He sat down, sulking. "Clothes thief," he muttered.

Elena laughed, reaching over and stroking his chin. "You look better in it," she replied. She glanced over to where Damon and Tari had exited. "I thought I would give the two of them some time together."

Stefan nodded. "Not a bad idea, I suppose. Those two need to bond, though I must admit I don't think Damon's a great role model."

"Really? I think the two of them are..." Elena struggled for the right words. "...alike already."

"You mean stubborn and quick witted?"

Elena laughed. "Yeah, I guess." She checked her watch and, smiling, reached over the counter and kissed Stefan's lips softly, slowly, seductively. "I can be late for work."

**XxX **

"Are you sure the top you're wearing is appropriate?"

This remark was asked from Damon while Tari was staring out the window of the car, a million miles away. Woken from her thoughts, she glanced down at the top. It was one of her favourite, a little red shirt with sleeves that barely made it past her shoulders. There was a little strap across her stomach, and silver buttons were very decorative, but a pain. True, it was getting a bit small now, which made it snug over her breasts – precisely why Tari liked it. "What's wrong with it?"

"It makes your breasts look huge."

"That's the point."

Damon tried again. "Isn't it a bit dressy for school?"

"No."

He gave up. "Looking forward to today then?"

She shrugged. "Would you?"

Damon chuckled. "Fair point. But seriously: do you even know what you want to do when you get older?"

Tari thought briefly. What _did _she want to do? She wasn't scientific, or particularly artsy. Author, actress, model, publisher, historian, lorry driver? "Do I have to decide now?"

"No. But you haven't thought about it?"

"Why can't I be a slob like you and Stefan?" The boys had enough money from the stock market (which Damon reported that after a while you could tell what was going to make money) and renting land they owned in Italy not to need a job, though Elena had published a book or two and worked at the local library. Stefan wanted to work, but found it easier not to get involved with other people.

"I do work. I'm a member of the town council."

"You are?"

"Yeah. When Stefan and I first arrived here we almost got discovered. As a council member, I watch out for any vampire threat. It seems to have gone quiet – for now." Damon chuckled. "To be fair, it's a good thing that we don't go out so much. People will soon realise that we don't appear to get old." He grinned at the mirror, seeing his pearly white teeth. "It's a good thing that we don't age – who would want to deprive the world of my good looks?"

His daughter rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, because that would be _such _a tragedy."

"Glad you see it that way." He suddenly felt Tari tense, and realise they had arrived at the school.

Damon had never been to school – he and Stefan had always had a private tutor. So he couldn't relate to what Tari was thinking. _Why didn't I ask Elena about it? Oh right, because it's not very interesting. _Still, he wished that he could understand what it was like.

How couldn't he? He, of all people, should know what it's like not to belong.

"You okay?" he muttered as he parked.

Tari felt herself nod. "Sure." And she _had _been. But that had been before she had seen the school, teaming with teenagers that seemed to know what they were doing, where they were going, who everyone was. She suddenly remembered, in her old school, when new students entered the classroom. They looked nervous, uncertain about themselves. She remembered thanking her lucky stars she had never been in that position.

That's irony for you.

"See you at four?" Damon asked, though it was more a command. If she wasn't home by then, he would go looking for her. He was lucky that he'd had the excuse to ground her; she was in the house where he could keep an eye on her. Hopefully she wouldn't get any ideas of wandering round the town like she had previously.

_She is your daughter_, a voice in his head pointed out. He smirked.

She nodded, gathering her things. "See you later," she replied, slamming the car door.

"Hey," he said before she got too far away. "You'll to be fine." He winked at her before driving away.

She would be fine. If any kid gave her a hard time then he would make sure that they were _severely _punished.

**XxX **

Tari stared at the school building. It looked old, though the town had only been around for 180 years*. She felt her legs weaken, watching everyone walk round knowing their purpose. With a deep breath – she was _not _going to show herself to be weak – she straightened and walked towards the double doors.

Immediately she saw the large desk, a bright sign explaining that this was the office. She waited for a mother of three to finish explaining why her middle son needed only one inhaler while her youngest needed three, whereas her oldest needed nut allergy medicine, before speaking to the woman. "Hi, I'm a new student here," she said hesitantly. "Tari?"

"We only have a Nefertari Salvatore."

She was quiet for a moment. She didn't know that her father had changed her name. Usually she was Tari Snow; now though, she was Nefertari Salvatore. "That's me," she whispered.

"Hey Egyptian!" Sawyer appeared as if out of nowhere, beaming brightly. The girl seemed in better spirits than she had before, and for that Tari was sincerely grateful.

She smiled easily back, surprised at that. "Hey Sawyer. What's up?"

She rolled her eyes. "School, y'know. What else is new?" She caught Tari's face. "Oh yeah, this is all completely new to you." She grinned sheepishly. "So, you ready?"

"For what?" For God's sake, was Sawyer on drugs on something? She was in such a bad – well okay, maybe not a bad mood but definitely not a happy one – two weeks ago. Not like today when she was grinning broadly as if nothing could bring her down.

"For the first day of the rest of your life."

The receptionist handed her the schedule and a bunch of papers, and Tari thanked her quickly before turning back to Sawyer. "Did you drink alcohol or something?" Tari said, finding it best to be bold. "I mean, no offence, but you seem a lot brighter than before."

To her surprise, Sawyer linked arms with her. "I know, and I'm sorry about that. The truth is, this guy I was seeing broke up with me." Before Tari could offer her condolences, she continued, "It's okay though, because we got back together."

Tari grinned. "That's great. Does he go to this school?"

Sawyer paused, then nodded slowly. "Yeah, but don't be offended if I don't introduce him to you just yet. He's a little older than me, so I haven't told Liam or Allen yet. My cousin in particular is very protective over me."

"Oh, of course," Tari said quickly. She wasn't one to tattle; besides, Sawyer had been honest with her, even though she didn't really know her. She didn't _have _to tell her that; she didn't _have _to be honest with her. But she had, so Tari at least needed to keep her silence.

"This is your locker," Sawyer replied, nodding. She past another one before going to her own.

"How do you know?" Tari asked, glancing down at one of the papers the receptionist had given her. Sure enough, Sawyer had led her to her locker. _Is she a mind reader too? _

"You're name's Salvatore, and my name's Scott. You're given your locker in order of second name."

Tari nodded as she twisted her own locker open. Realising that she didn't have anything to put in, she closed it again. She saw the girl holding her hands out. "What?"

"Show me your schedule," she commanded. Without hesitation she showed her the piece of paper. "We have...physical education together, no surprise there...history with Saltzman...and English with Herman." The light in her green eyes dimed somewhat, but she quickly covered it. "Great, right?"

Tari lifted a shoulder. "As great as schoolwork can be."

Sawyer laughed. "Good point. But hey, we're only freshmen. We don't need to be thinking about our futures quite yet. We can have fun."

Sawyer did have a point. And after this horrendous summer, all Tari wanted to do was have fun.

"Hey NYC Girl," said a voice behind her. She saw Sawyer roll her eyes before she turned round. Sure enough, there was Liam, his hair newly cut.

"Hey MFT Boy," replied Tari as he went to his locker. Sawyer laughed a little in approval and even Liam smirked.

"How's country life treating you?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Okay, though it's pretty dull."

He tut-tutted. "This is why we country kids end up smarter than you city kids: we know how to create our own fun, we don't just go down to the movies."

"At least in New York you can get pizza delivered instead of having to wait for half an hour in a restaurant for one."

She heard a whistle from behind her. "She's got you there Lee." She turned her head again, this time seeing Allen. He grinned at her. "Hey Tari, Sawyer."

"Hey Al," replied Sawyer. She sounded remarkably calm despite the fact she was rooting through Liam's bag.

Liam only looked mildly surprised. "Looking for drugs S? I told you, you need help."

"No, your schedule." She clicked her fingers at Allen. "Yours too!"

"I surrender," Allen said, holding up one hand as he passed her his schedule.

It turned out they all had history together. "Great," Liam said with a roll of his eyes. "History last today and Friday."

"What's wrong with history?" asked Tari. She happened to like history; she was good at it. Well, that and English.

The bell rang, and she felt Sawyer grab her hand. "See you later!" she called. "We've got to go to English."

The blonde haired teenager sat Tari and herself in rows in the front seat. She gave the girl a questioning look. "I know the front seats are a little geeky, but I need to pay attention in English," she explained.

She glanced round the classroom, eyeing the other kids. No one looked very stoner or mean girl. It was definitely not New York.

"Okay!" The teacher suddenly clapped his hands. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Peter Herman and I'll be your English teacher this year. Now," he said, beginning to pace. "This year we'll be reading a whole series of books, such as _Of Mice and Men _and _Dracula._" _How ironic_, Tari thought. "The course is going to be extensive: I want to have read _The Great Gatsby _in a month from now."

As he passed out books, he stopped at Tari's desk. "Are you new?"

Tari blushed. _Thanks for drawing attention to me. _"Um, yes. My name's Tari Salvatore."

"Are your transcripts on file?"

She nodded though she didn't actually know this. What transcripts? Why did they need that? "I trust you'll be better behaved this year, Miss Scott?" he asked, moving on to Sawyer.

She grinned. "Of course, Mr Herman. You know me."

As he began handing books out to the rest of the class, Tari felt a strange, niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was something not quite right... She bent her head over the book, trying to calm herself. For some reason she had the horrid feeling she was being stared at.

Uncomfortable, she took a quick glance round the classroom. No one was staring at her. Was she being paranoid? The feeling of eyes upon her was still lingering, and she couldn't shake it. This time she turned her head towards the windows, and saw a person staring in through them at her.

It was Elena. Tari exhaled in relief, though she still felt a little anxious. For one thing, Tari noticed that Elena was wearing different clothes; her dark hair was also curlier than she remembered. Elena was also staring at her in a freakish way: like she was something to eat...

Heart pounding, Tari offered a limp wave. Elena smirked at Tari's wave, and in a second she disappeared.

For some reason Tari felt shaken. That girl didn't feel like Elena; she felt like someone else entirely. It was as almost as if she had crossed paths with the devil and hadn't known it.

**XxX **

On the whole, school wasn't such a disaster. Sawyer, Allen and Liam kept her with them at all times. At lunch Sawyer grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the inside tables and outside. There were some benches outdoors, but Sawyer didn't pause; she pulled Tari towards a large oak tree. Liam and Allen were already there, but their lunches lay forgotten on the floor. They were tossing a football back and forth. "Liam's on the football team this year," Sawyer explained.

Tari glanced at Allen. "You too?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I enjoy football, but I'm not team material."

"You _could _be if you tried out."

"No thanks."

"Al!" Liam whined.

"Lee!" Allen mocked.

"C'mon! All those other guys are jerks who might as well be using their heads as footballs!"

"Whatever," Allen said, tossing the ball back to Liam and finally sitting down.

"So, this town is really that boring?" Tari said after a moment.

She almost missed the glance Sawyer and Allen sent each other. "You could say that," Sawyer murmured, looking round distractedly.

It was just one of the strange things that happened that day. The last thing that happened was last period history. She felt a familiar sense of relief as she walked into the classroom. She liked history; she got good grades in this class without even trying. She was a little anxious that they would be studying a period that she didn't like, but was fairly confident that she would be able to keep up.

Sawyer strutted in first, confident as always. "Hey Mr Saltzman." She was always so chummy would the teacher, so brazen that she almost seemed rude yet was never called on it.

The teacher glanced up. He looked about mid-thirties**, but Tari thought he seemed older. Maybe it was his eyes, which looked strangely exhausted. _Too many years of teaching? _Tari wondered. "Always a pleasure Miss Scott."

"Hey Mr S," called Liam as he took his seat. They were one of the first in the classroom, Tari noted, which made her feel more confident when she handed him a note (one of the teachers had given it to her and informed her to do this with every teacher – Sawyer had already explained he was a grouch).

"Hi," Tari said, immediately flushing when he glanced up at her. She had never been more aware of how much she hated the spotlight. "I'm new."

He smiled pleasantly. "Alaric Saltzman. And you are..." He took the slip from her hands. In that instant she saw his eyes widen. Once again she felt a shiver run down her spine; her senses began to tingle – a warning? "...Nefertari Salvatore." She could tell, by his tone of voice, that he was surprised.

"Tari," she said hurriedly, not wanting to end up being called Nefertari for the rest of her school life.

"Tari," he repeated mindlessly. He gazed up at her, and once again she felt that uncomfortable feeling. But then he nodded towards the seats that were starting to fill up. "Please take a seat," he said in a polite voice.

She nodded and went to sit next to Allen. The boy could tell something was bothering her, but decided to keep it to himself. Besides, the class was about to start anyway – how much would he be able to get out of her?

As Mr Saltzman taught, Tari could feel his eyes gravitate to her more than once or twice. She took to keeping her eyes on the book, not answering a single question. _So much for history being _my _subject. _

Even though the day had been good, it was still a relief when the final bell rang. She said a goodbye to Liam and Sawyer who were getting picked up ("Family barbecue," said Liam; "Which means a lot of family drama," Sawyer chimed in) and began walking down the street when she heard footsteps behind her.

It set her on edge, despite the fact it was broad daylight. She whirled round, her eyes landing on the person behind her. "Easy," Allen said, lifting his hands in the air.

"Oh, it's you." She visibly relaxed. "What's up?"

"I'm walking too," Allen said. "Is it cool if -"

"Sure," Tari answered, feeling embarrassed. They began walking up the street. Tari was both irritated and glad about this: irritated because she wanted time to think; and glad, because she was at least making friends.

"So," Allen said, turning to smile at her. "You survived your first day."

Tari nodded. "It's definitely a bonus. I didn't expect the school to be so..."

"Non-threatening?"

"More or less," she said, smiling slightly. "Back in New York, you had to watch that you didn't step on any popular girl's toes, or you'd make an enemy for life."

"Did you? Step on anyone's toes, I mean?"

She shook her head. "I had quite a few friends back home." She didn't mention that plenty of them had sent her frantic emails once finding out about her mother. She hadn't replied back to any of them. Reading their words of condolence, she simply _couldn't _reply. They were probably wondering whether she had died too, because of her silence.

"Do you miss them?"

She lifted a shoulder. "Not really," was her reply. "After what happened...with my Mom... I don't really want to be reminded of my life back then." She turned away, wishing they could talk about something – anything – else.

Allen seemed to understand, because he quickly changed the subject. "It's just me and my Mom at home," he said quickly. "My dad took off when I was little."

That hurt. Tari, though no matter how much pain she had been through, thought Allen's situation had been worse. At least her Mom loved her; at least she hadn't wanted to leave. "I sorry," she murmured as Allen shook his head, anticipating what she was going to say.

"Don't be. Sorry, I mean. He was a dick. I'm – we're – better off without him."

Tari really wished they could get off this subject. "So," she began, "you don't play football? What do you do?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Debate team, photography club, swim team, that sort of thing – I'm not a football guy like Liam is."

"Liam seems cool," replied Tari honestly, "and Sawyer too. How long have you known each other?"

Allen thought back. "I guess since five years old. I had a fight with Liam and we sort of became friends after that. Sawyer was Lee's cousin, so that's how I got to know her."

Tari laughed. "Well, that's one way to make friends. It's nice though, how you lot have known each other for so long."

He smiled, not really looking at anything. "Yeah. It's kind of like having a support system; a back up. Like, when our parents are pressuring us, and our teachers and yelling at us, we still have each other. Y'know, we have someone to depend on." He glanced at her. "You can be in that too. We're like a family. We don't judge."

She suddenly felt a big lump in her throat, like she'd dry swallowed a pill. Still, she managed to find the words to choke out two words: "Thank you."

**XxX **

It was times like these Stefan knew that he could kill.

Any sibling will tell you that they're brothers and/or sisters drive you crazy. They can push buttons like no one else can. And Damon had pressed his buttons more than enough times. But today, he wasn't pushing any buttons, such as the ones labelled: "Don't kill people" or "Don't compel people". They were buttons such as, "Don't mess up my room" or "Do not read my journal." Or, "Do not root through my wife's lingerie draw." Currently he was pushing the button that said, "Do not lounge on my bed."

"Let's do something," said Damon for the hundredth time.

Stefan sighed, running his hands through his dark brown hair. "Like what?"

"Go to a bar."

"Damon, it's not evening yet; it's five to four."

He expected his brother to say, "It doesn't need to be evening to drink." But instead he sat up, getting that almost childish look in his eye. "It's five to four?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "Tari should be home soon."

Tari. That girl was the whole reason Damon had been annoying Stefan. He had wanted a distraction, one that would stop him thinking about Tari; would stop him worrying about her. Damon hadn't mentioned her all day, but Stefan knew his brother better than anyone.

He was worried about his daughter.

Now he stood by Stefan's window, which helpfully looked out over the drive. "She should be back soon. I _told _her four o'clock. If she's not back by four..."

"So what if she's a little late?" Stefan asked his brother. "She'll come home eventually. Relax."

Damon turned to his brother. "I'm not being judgemental or anything, Stef. I don't mean to be...well, mean or anything, but seriously, you have no idea what it's like to be a parent. You have no idea what it's like to be _scared _day in day out, but not for yourself; for someone that you can't control; for someone that doesn't _get _how much you help them. For someone who you love more than anyone else in the entire world, who you could _never _stop loving, no matter what they did."

Stefan stared at his brother for a moment in wonder. Damon rarely made long speeches, especially speeches that were, well, right. "Sorry Damon." As his brother looked away dismissively, he continued. "No, Damon, I am sorry. I don't have a kid, remember."

He aimed a smile at his brother before looking back at the window. "It's okay Stefan. Really. I'm just worried."

Damon's mobile rang. He instantly picked it up in case it was Tari, but quickly realised it was someone else. "Hey," he answered quietly, distracted. He listened to the talker for a few moments. "Yeah, alright, alright. Meet me tonight, okay? At the Grill, okay?" After the other person spoke again, he replied, "Great. See you tonight." He hung up the phone quickly, his eyes rooted to the drive.

"Who was that?"

"It was-" Damon stopped, and Stefan saw his shoulders sag in relief. "She's back," he said, before racing down the stairs. Stefan stared after his brother. He had forgotten that look in Damon's eyes; the look that showed he was happy.

**XxX **

As soon as Tari entered the house, she felt a rush of wind, and Damon was standing right in front of her. She jumped, but was pleased to find that she wasn't as surprised as she usually was. "Hi," she said.

"Hey." He kissed her forehead and anchored her to his side, leading her to the living room. "How was your day?"

She shrugged. "It was okay," she said, wishing he would just let her go up to her room. But instead he pulled her onto the sofa, dropping her bag to the floor.

"What happened?" Damon asked, surprising even himself. Since when did he care about teenage drama?

_Since your daughter was one. _

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing much. Same old same old, you know."

"No, I wouldn't. I never went to school. I'm from 1864, remember?"

"Did you not get educated?"

He rolled his eyes this time. "'Get educated'. And _I'm _the one without education?"

"_Are _you?"

"No; Stefan and I had a private tutor." He pulled her feet up so she was now facing him, her long legs lounging over his lap. "Don't change the subject. What happened?"

Tari didn't want to get into a conversation about school, but Damon had his hands over her knees, so she doubted she would be able to escape without at least a few words. "It was, well, the usual. Boring really. The subjects were okay though, I guess."

"Any bitchy kids?"

She shook her head. "Actually, school was pretty tame." An idea came into her head, a way to escape this endless conversation. "Hey, I saw Elena outside the school today."

Damon didn't freeze, but he had to work very hard at it. "Oh?"

"Yeah. She was acting a bit weird though." She shrugged again – she seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "I guess I just don't really know her yet, right?"

Damon smiled, though it was forced. "Yeah." He reached over and gently stroked her long hair, playing with it delicately. "Tari..."

"Mm?" His daughter looked up at him inquisitively. At that moment she looked almost identical to Rebecca.

He choked on the words he was going to say. Chickening out, he said, "Just stay safe, okay?"

Confusion covered her blue eyes. "Sure," she answered, not understanding what had triggered this serious tone in the conversation.

He pulled her closer to him, holding her head to his chest. "Good girl," he breathed, once again kissing her on the temple. As if her word alone would keep her safe.

The hug confused and aggravated Tari. The more time she spent with Damon made it increasingly harder to believe that he could have killed her mother.

**XxX **

Damon sat in the bar, drinking another shot. He felt stressed. For the first time in a long while he didn't want to be in a bar; he wanted to be at home, watching over his daughter. Logic told him she would be safe – after explaining what Tari had seen today, both Elena and Stefan had taken babysitting duty a whole lot more seriously – but he still wished he could make sure for himself.

"Damon."

The vampire turned round. "Alaric," he replied in the same serious tone. "Have a seat," he said, as if that would have stopped him.

The schoolteacher sat down. "You have some explaining to do-"

"Hang on." Damon got the attention of the barman and ordered two glasses of scotch. Once the drinks arrived, he looked back at Alaric. "Continue."

He drank half his beer before setting it back down on the bar. "You have a daughter?" he questioned.

Damon's eyes met his. "Yes."

Alaric ran his hands through his hair. "Since when?"

"Don't you know her age? You're her teacher."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged. "What did it matter? She lived in New York with her mother, and honestly, I thought with my reputation it'd be safer if less people knew. But then her mother died in a car accident, so now she's living with me."

Alaric rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, that's a great idea. She'd be better off with a great-aunt or something."

Damon took a deep breath. "No, she wouldn't," he said, and began explaining. He was getting good at telling this story: first Bonnie, now Alaric. He wondered how many times he would have to tell it before enough people knew.

Alaric patiently listened until Damon needed another drink for his sore throat. "Okay," he said finally. "I get it, I guess."

"Good. Now I need you to do something for me."

"What? Jeez, what are you with these favours-"

"Alaric, seriously." Because of Damon's face and tone, Alaric closed his mouth. "I just need you to watch out for her while she's at school, okay?"

Alaric stared at the vampire. "How am I supposed to do that?"

Damon growled impatiently; Alaric had no idea how hard he was trying not to compel him. "Just watch out for any Elena look-alikes or suspicious people hanging round the school. I will protect her the rest of the time, and she already knows about vampires, but she doesn't know about Katherine."

"And why haven't you told her?"

Damon downed his glass and ordered another two. "Because I don't want her to feel scared every time she walks out the front door."

After a few moments of silence, Alaric nodded. "Okay," he said finally. "Buy me another drink and I'll watch out for her. I'll do my best to protect her from crazy vampires."

Damon let loose a breath he didn't realise he was holding. "Thank you."

Alaric smiled slowly. "Wow, did Damon Salvatore just say thank you? Where's a video camera when you need it?"

"Shut up." He waved to get the bar tender's attention once again. "Another round of shots, please."

**XxX **

Tari stared at the window. It was pitch black outside, but it was oddly comforting to her. She had never been afraid of the dark; you could hide in darkness, escape in it.

She felt safe, but the feeling that she was being watched didn't leave her. She wondered whether it was just that Stefan and Elena seemed to be taking babysitting duty way too seriously but...

_You're acting crazy_, she told herself, shaking her head. _No one is watching you. You're perfectly – _

"Bed."

Tari whirled round, her heart once again threatening to beat out of her rib cage. Once she saw Damon place a glass of water on her bedside table she relaxed. "Seriously, could you stop?"

He smirked. "Nah; its way too fun." He strolled over to her and once again lifted her under the covers of her bed. "You should go to sleep earlier."

"You should be back later," Tari shot back. If he had stayed out longer like he usually did, she would have been in bed by the time he got back.

He laughed, running a hand through her hair. She was surprised to see his eyes filled with compassion and – dare she say it? – love. "Go to sleep Tari. I'll see you in the morning." He kissed her on the forehead and walked out the room, switching the light on as he went.

She lay there in the darkness for a little while, staring at the ceiling. It was becoming increasingly hard to ignore the loving feelings she was beginning to have towards her father.

The one that she suspected killed her mother.

**XxX**

**For the record, I would like to point out that I do not hold a grudge against **_**Twilight. **_**In fact I have all four books, though I have to say that I LOVE Vampire Diaries so much more. It's more real, if you know what I mean. **

*** The town is 180 years old because it's been thirty years since Damon and Stefan arrived in the town; that's how Bonnie is able to have a kid. Elena isn't that old because she's now a vampire. Just making sure everyone understands!**

**** I don't actually know Alaric's real age, but I don't want him to be too old. Besides, I don't think he's that old!**

**Btw, you know the part about Damon annoying Stefan. I know from personal experience i.e. my little brother. WHY couldn't have an older brother who brought over all his hot friends? **

**So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I definitely put a lot of Brooke Davis into Sawyer, I hope you like her. I love how I've managed to bring OTH into this fic. Like I said, I hope you like how I've brought her, Allen and Haley and Nathan's youngest son Liam into it. Let me know what you think about them.**

**So review please! They mean so much to me! And for those who have already reviewed, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! **

**xXx **

**03/07/11: One of my favourite chapters! Hope you enjoyed it! **


	9. Sick

**Hi everyone! **

**Um... Not much to say. Only thing is that I only have ONE exam left! YAY! ALMOST OVER! My God, what will I do when I don't need to pour over textbooks? How will I go on? **

**Anyway, please enjoy this chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters – EXCEPT FOR TARI! And Rebecca. **

**XxX**

**Chapter Eight **

**Sick **

The weeks passed by quickly. Before Tari knew it, September had gone and now it was mid-October. She would stare outside, watching the leaves begin to fall off the trees and swirl round on the ground. It reminded her of Central Park. She and her mother use to walk through Central Park every Sunday, their tradition. In the summer they would have picnics on the grass, enjoying the sunshine as it came. New York winters, after all, were pretty extreme.

The weather in Mystic Falls was not very different*, only now she couldn't imagine wearing her favourite little top. She was now reduced to wearing her new dark leather jacket, which wasn't so bad; after all, it was gorgeous. Damon, Elena and Stefan had taken her shopping to the mall. The boys had been surprisingly patient while Elena helped Tari pick out clothes and try them on. They were even useful, commenting on whether a certain top would look better in a different colour. Damon bought her whatever she wanted, not caring how much it cost. For Tari, who was used to living on a budget, it was definitely surprising.

And intimidating. It was clear that Damon had plenty of money – all of his clothes were designer, and all of Tari's clothes cost close to a thousand dollars. He had enough money to get whatever he wanted.

Then again, she _did _get new clothes.

But even now she found that she was still cold. All through the day she had kept her jacket on, puzzling all three of her friends. Sawyer in particular seemed immune to the cold, wearing a thin lacy pink top. "What's up with you?" Allen asked her on the daily walk home.

"What do you mean?"

"You've kept your jacket on all day. And you face is flushed," he said, examining it carefully.

Of course this made her face flush even _more_. "I've just been cold, that's all."

Allen raised an eyebrow. "You should get some hot chocolate. We could stop off, if you like."

His offer was very tempting – to spend some time acting like a _normal _teenager was too good to be true. But Damon had set the rules: if she wasn't back by four, he would come and get her and then ground her. "I have to get back home tonight, but maybe tomorrow?" If she gave Damon enough warning, then maybe he would allow her to go.

She arrived home just before four – she'd had to run the last part to make sure she got back on time – and as always Damon appeared at the bottom of the stairs. The girl had to admit, for everything Damon lacked, at least he checked in on her. He always knew when she was home, and as soon as she arrived he would come to greet her.

"Hey," he said, placing his hand on her back as he kissed her forehead. He immediately pulled back, scrutinizing her. "You're cold."

"Yeah, I know." She felt as if the entire room was made of ice. Quickly she went in the living room and started the fire. Damon leant against the frame of the archway, staring at her. He was trying to ignore the pangs of worry inside. He didn't understand how he had become such a worrier; such a fanatic; such a... What was the word? Oh yeah – such a _Stefan. _But he always fretted over the girl as if she was made of fragile china. He did his best to hide it from her, but he would always panic if she wasn't home by four – even in the minutes leading up to four o'clock he panicked. He use to be care-free, undaunted, unburdened. How had he changed so quickly?

"You feeling okay?" he asked, relieved that he didn't sound worried; merely curious.

Tari nodded, finally feeling warm enough to take off her jacket. "I'm fine. The weather just a little cold, isn't it?"

Damon sat on a stool beside her. "I thought New York was colder."

She shrugged, leaning closer to the flames. Damon surveyed her for a moment, but then gave up. If Tari was in pain, she would tell him. Nonetheless, he didn't go out that night, as if waiting for something to happen.

As Tari got ready for bed, she ignored the queasy feeling in her stomach. _I am _not _ill; I barely ever get ill. _She tried reading a book – _The Island _by Victoria Hislop – but reading began to give her a headache. She wanted to continue though. She was reading through all her mother's book – quite an extensive collection – and she was leaving the best 'till last i.e. the vampire novels.

Damon suddenly appeared by her bed. "You close your fist and move it back and forth." At Damon's blank look, she informed him, "Knocking."

"Well, this way I'll be more likely to catch you doing something you shouldn't." His eyes ran down the bed. "At least tonight you're already in bed."

"Hey, listen." Tari wondered what Damon would say; still, she figured best get to the point. "Tomorrow I'm going to be a little late from school tomorrow – I'll probably be back for five."

Damon glanced down at her. "Why?" He felt his heart tighten; he would spend another agonising hour waiting for her to arrive home.

"I'm going out with a friend for hot chocolate."

Damon crossed his arms. Usually he wouldn't care, but his daughter could be attacked at any moment; and more than that, it was his daughter. "With who?"

Tari stared up, defiance clear in her eyes. "A friend."

"More information," Damon commanded. "A name would be nice."

She sighed, sitting up. "Allen Bennett," she answered finally.

He hid his surprise, though it was difficult not to grin. _My kid and Bonnie's... She won't be pleased._

Damon sighed. "Okay. Back for five though, no later."

Tari made a face. "Would I?"

The vampire rolled his eyes. He bent down and kissed her, once again frowning. "Now you're hot."

"Am I?" Tari had to admit, she didn't feel cold anymore.

Damon nodded, still frowning. "Damon, relax. I'm fine," she said, doing her best to smile.

He still didn't look satisfied, but nodded. "Okay. See you in the morning."

"Night," Tari called as he switched off the light. She hated it when he did that: it was as if he was forcing her to sleep whether she wanted to or not.

Tonight, even when she tried to close her eyes, she couldn't sleep. Damon was right – she _was _hot. She flung off the covers, spreading out to the cooler parts of the mattress. It was one of those moments when, you began to feel so rotten that you didn't care what happened to you. Right now Tari didn't care what happened tomorrow; she just wanted the sick feeling to go away.

But the opposite happened. Instead she felt the nausea feeling crawl upwards to her throat. She leapt off the bed, grateful that she had her own bathroom.

She threw up the lining of her stomach into the toilet. She felt her entire body strain as she was sick. Still, as she was throwing up, she felt someone pull her hair away from her face. Her mind couldn't focus on it until she finally felt her stomach empty. Her body relaxed, and she sat up. The girl felt dizzy, so she forgot about the person in the room until he handed her a cloth. "Thanks," she whispered, knowing who it was without needing to look.

Once she tossed the paper in the toilet, Damon carefully took her in his arms and carried her back to her bed. After he placed her on the bed, he raised his hand to her forehead. "You're too hot."

"I don't feel so well," she murmured.

Suddenly she found her head being lifted by a hand under her chin, and her eyes were looking directly into Damon's. "Hey," he said harshly, lightly pinching underneath her chin. "I don't care whether you're upset or we're fighting, or whatever; when you're ill you come to me, okay?"

Tari was too weary to feel annoyed or afraid by this; she simply nodding, closing her eyes. She was so tired...

Damon disappeared again, though he was back in a second. Tari wondered what it would be like to do that. She focussed on Damon, who was holding a bottle of tablets and a fresh glass of water. "Take these," he commanded.

Her head was pounding. "What are they?"

"Sedation tablets; they'll put you to sleep."

She took them gratefully, wanting sleep more than anything right now. She finished her glass of water and then gently lied back down. Her eyes were closed, but she felt the rustle of bedcovers as Damon moved on the bed. He switched the light off and moved towards her. "Here," he said, placing his hand on her forehead.

Her pounding headache quickly subsided, now only a minor irritation. For the first time she moved towards him, his cool body bringing her temperature down. "That feels nice," she murmured.

He smiled down at the girl. "I'm sorry you feel so bad," he said, not entirely truthful. It would have been better if she had arrived when she was a little girl; a little girl who wanted a dad to hug her all the time. But Tari was fourteen, just a teenager. Even if a teenager wanted her dad to hold her, she would never admit it.

"Me too," she murmured. She yawned. "Did you first meet Mom in Mystic Falls?"

_That _question woke Damon instantly. "Why'd you ask?"

"Curious."

He closed his eyes. "Yeah," he whispered, "I did meet her. At the Grill, actually."

_I down my fifth – sixth – shot of vodka. I don't want to be here, but I don't want to go home either. If I do, I'll hear Elena and Stefan making love, celebrating their engagement. _

_God, I don't want to love her; I don't want to love Elena. But I do, and I'm sorry. I actually feel _guilty _about it: even though I had been teasing Stefan with my flirtations, I hadn't intended to fall in love with her. But I did, and now I wonder if I had secretly wanted this; if it was somehow my fault, I managed to tempt fate._

_I need another drink. _

_I'm about to ask for a drink, but as I begin someone behind me says, "Vodka and coke please." _

_I turn, and for a moment catch my breath. Standing before me is a beautiful specimen of a woman, and I've seen a lot of women. This particular woman – girl – is wearing blue jeans, a long purple top and a black denim jacket. Her dark hair is curled, and her dark eyes bring out her pale face. _

_I smile. I have a perfect distraction. I haven't drunk human blood in a year, four months, one week and one day – like an alcoholic who knows exactly when he had his last drink – but perhaps it's time to start again. _

"_Y'know, it's rude to interrupt." _

_She shrugs, stepping up to the bar. She doesn't look at me when she speaks, just straight ahead. "By the looks of the glasses, you've had enough to drink." _

_I glance at the glasses and back at her. "With the day I've had, I haven't drunk enough." _

_She finally looks at me. I feel the complete power of her dark eyes. "Okay," she says. "I'll humour you. Why has your day been so bad?"_

_Since she was humouring me, I decide to be honest with him. "The woman I love has just agreed to marry my brother." _

_She doesn't wince, simply nods. "Wow," she says. "You did have a rough day." _

_I down another glass of vodka. "What about you? You got a sob story?" _

_She takes her drink, nearly emptying the glass. "Impressive," I say. _

_She acts as if she hasn't heard me. "You know what Santa Clause and love have in common? Doesn't matter, 'cause they don't exist." _

_I raise my hand. "I'll drink to that." I hand her a shot. "To non-existent love." _

_She brings her glass to mine. "To non-existent love," she echoes. We both down it in one. _

"_So," I say, "what's a pretty girl like you doing in a small town like this?"_

"_I'm house-sitting for a friend with my sister." She looks round. "She's always late though, so I guess I could stay with you until she gets here." _

_I try to appear casual, but on the inside I'm grinning. This girl is playing right into my hands. Hopefully with a little compulsion, I would be drinking her blood in no time; watching the fire fade from her dark brown eyes. _

"_You got a name?" I ask her. _

_She plays with the glasses, piling them up one by one. "Yep." _

_She doesn't continue. "You gonna tell me it?" _

_The girl smirks. "Maybe I'll tell you one day. What's yours?" _

"_Damon." _

_She blinks in surprise. "That was easy." _

"_You ask, I tell. I'm easy like that." _

_She giggles; the drinks are definitely getting to her. "Good to know. Will you pay me a million dollars too?" _

"_Maybe I will one day." _

_This conversation is losing its meaning. "How old are you?" I ask. _

_She raises her eyebrow. "What a promising question." _

"_Just curious." I would like to know a little more about my victim. _

"_I'm twenty two," she says. She grins, reminding him of a tiger. "I've shared; a deal's a deal." _

"_We made no deal." _

"_It was unspoken. I can take you to court if you don't comply." _

"_I'm twenty five." If I said I was nearing late hundreds she would think I was crazy. Or that I'd had too much to drink, which is probably true. _

"_So, Damon, what do you do?" _

_I smile vaguely. "This and that. What do you do, Little Miss No Name?" _

_She shrugs. "Nothing much now. But I'm hoping to get a job in a restaurant as a chef." _

"_A chef?" I'm laughing; for some reason the thought makes me laugh. She's met the one person doesn't need to eat. "What can you cook for me?" _

_She leans in closer; she had chicken for dinner. "Who says I would be cooking for you?" _

"_Who says you won't be?" _

"_Who says I will be?" _

_The conversation is turning to gibberish, so I call, "Bartender! Another round!" _

"_Make mine a double!" she calls. _

_I raise an eyebrow. "Someone's a lightweight. You've only had two." _

_She smirks, her eyes glittering. "I've had two _shots_. I had my vodka and coke and, last time I checked, you don't know what I drank before I came here." _

_I can't remember how long we're talking, but the next thing I know we're laughing hilariously at something that isn't funny. She leans towards me; I take the opportunity so that when she looks up my face is right in front of hers. _

"_Kiss me," I say, using my compulsion on her. She stares at my eyes for a moment, and then at my lips. I move in, and she raised her lips to meet mine. _

_But then she detours, reaching my nose. And instead of kissing, she _bites _it. Not hard, but enough to surprise me. _And I thought _I _was the vampire.

_Her eyes meet mine, a smirk back on her face. "There," she whispers. _

_The compulsion didn't work? "That's wasn't a kiss," I whisper back. _

_She lifts a shoulder. "Close enough." _

"_Becca!" She turns, and I see a petite blonde girl by the door. She looks impatient. _

_The girl steps back. "It was nice to meet you Damon." _

_But I can't let her go. It's not because of the blood anymore; I don't even feel thirsty. "You're name's Becca?" _

_She's almost escaped, starting towards the door. But she turns, staring at me. I can see her debating in her head. "Rebecca," she says finally. "My name's Rebecca Snow." Without another word she turns and leaves. _

_That was the first time I met Rebecca Snow, and I can honestly say that it changed my life. _

Damon snapped back to reality as he felt Tari shift. She was fast asleep now, tucked away in the soft edges of dream world. It's as if he told her the story. But he knew he didn't. He never spoke about Rebecca, at least not before Tari was born.

He sighed. He shouldn't have relived those moments with Rebecca. Now he would get no sleep.

**XxX **

It was five in the morning when Damon woke up. He saw, to his amazement, that his daughter was still asleep next to him. She didn't feel as hot as she had been before, just a little warm. That was enough reassurance for Damon to leave her, going downstairs for coffee.

He sat at the kitchen counter, pouring himself a mug of strong black coffee. Admittedly he had slept fitfully, but it felt as if he hadn't slept at _all_. He knew it hadn't been to do with Tari at all, but Rebecca.

He knew it would cause problems bringing Tari here. It wasn't as if he would do anything differently with his daughter if he could turn back time, but... She just reminded him _so _much of Rebecca. It wasn't just the physical features, but their smile curved the same way; she laughed the same way too.

Genetics were truly an amazing thing.

"Damon?" Elena appeared suddenly. He wished she didn't have vampire speed; he had loved it when he'd been able to sneak up on her, when it was _him _that had been able to disappear and appear as he saw fit. "You're up early."

He raised an eyebrow. "So are you."

She shrugged. "You didn't answer my question."

Damon watched as she poured another mug of coffee. "Tari was sick last night. I was up with her."

Elena's expression softened. "Is she okay?"

"Still a little warm. She's not going to school today." At Elena's smirk, he asked, "What?"

"Usually it's children that beg to be off school; parents are usually the ones that have to drag them in."

He watched as she went into the fridge, bringing back two blood bags. "Yeah, well, I would prefer it if I could keep her in her room at all times I would."

Elena closed her eyes briefly. "I still think we should tell her. C'mon Damon, it's usually Stefan that keeps secrets; we can't stop you from telling the truth."

"She's my _daughter_, Elena. I don't want her to be terrified. Besides, we're watching her and so is Alaric. Maybe..." He was about to say, _maybe we're being paranoid_, but the memory of what Tari had seen outside the school was still raw in his mind. "I just want her to feel like everything's normal."

He felt Elena's brown eyes on him. "Damon, she's living with three vampires, unknowingly being protected by a vampire slayer, and she's _your _daughter. Her life isn't going to be normal."

**XxX **

When Tari opened her eyes, she forgot where she was.

She imagined her old room, small, stuffy and modern; unlike her bedroom now, where the wood would have been at least a hundred and fifty years old. Her room was too big, in hindsight. It didn't look like an ordinary girl's room. In fairness, she had left have her things in the apartment – some things she had outgrown; others reminded her of her mother.

"Hey." Damon came through the door. At least this time he hadn't just appeared in front of her. He had a concerned look on his face. "How're you feeling?"

She tried to sit up, but her head cried out in protest. "Okay. My head hurts a little."

He crawled on the bed, raising an eyebrow. "How much is a little?"

"A lot," Tari admitted.

This time Damon had come prepared. He handed her two tablets and a glass of water. "Take these," he advised. "They might make you sleepy, but at least your head won't hurt anymore."

She nodded and took both of them instantly. "Thanks," she said quietly.

Damon smiled, and it took Tari completely by surprise. It was such a soft, gentle smile, one she had not really seen on his face. He reached over and stroked her dark hair. "You should go to sleep. You'll feel better once you wake up."

After he left, Tari lay on the bed. She didn't get Damon: he seemed such a dark person, what with his hair and clothes. Yet he was becoming especially cuddly lately. He was constantly playing with her hair, holding her, pulling her along with him. When she had first arrived in Mystic Falls, she had barely seen him for two or three days. Now she would be lucky if she didn't see him more than once a day.

She smiled up at the ceiling. It was kinda nice.

**XxX **

The next time she woke up, Tari bolted up. She now realised what had woke her up: both Damon and Stefan were in her bedroom, holding the living room television between them. _Damon and Stefan, holding what would be the most entertaining thing in this house between them? Shit. _

"What are you two doing?" she asked in alarm.

Both looked up. "You're awake," said Stefan.

"How're you feeling?"

"Did you get enough sleep?"

"I'm fine," Tari answered generically before saying (in what she thought was a calm tone) "What are you doing with the television?"

"We thought you might be bored, so we decided to bring the television up," answered Damon. "We would have gotten here a lot faster if Stefan hadn't spent an hour pulling out plugs."

"I was not just pulling out plugs. I was-"

"Reading the instruction manual like it was the bible?"

"At least I wasn't about to break it by rushing up the stairs."

"I'm hungry," Tari announced. She hadn't eaten since dinner last night, and even then she had left half of it and puked up the rest.

"Just plug it in already-"

"You just want to see the game-"

"I want to see Jerry Springer-"

"I thought this was _my _television?" Tari interrupted.

This was the statement that brought her attention. "It's not yours," Damon snorted. "We're lending it to you. Once you're better it's going back down to the living room."

Tari smiled sweetly at him. "Can I have pizza now?"

"I thought you were sick?"

"I am," replied Tari, though she was feeling much better now; her pounding headache had subsided into an annoyance. "But I still want to eat."

Damon rolled his eyes, but disappeared. She turned to Stefan. "Is that better?"

He grinned. "Thanks T."

Waiting for the pizza, Tari sat and watched Stefan work. Stefan didn't talk much, but in a way she found that comforting. It was nice to know that she didn't need to speak; that the silent was comforting. There was no pressure between niece and uncle.

When Damon arrived, carrying a large pepperoni pizza with him, he found his daughter asleep on the bed. "She just fell back to sleep," Stefan informed his brother, plugging the television in.

Damon climbed on the bed, running his hand on the girl's forehead. "She's not so hot anymore."

Stefan joined the two on the bed. "Good," he answered, holding the remote. "That means she's getting better."

Damon nodded, pulling Tari's head onto his lap. "What's on television?"

"Basketball, hockey, news..." He paused. "_Scrubs_," he said after a moment.

After exchanging a glance with Damon, the two settled down to watch.

**XxX **

Elena, when arriving him, was usually greeted by Stefan. If not, sometimes Damon and on occasion Tari. She was rarely standing the hallway alone.

"Stefan?" she called. "Tari? Damon? Is anyone here?"

There was no answer. Yet Tari was meant to be sick. Shouldn't she be in the house? She doubted even Damon, as wild and irresponsible as he could be, would leave her alone; and surely Stefan wouldn't leave home.

A sickening feeling twisted in her gut. What if Tari had gotten so bad, she needed to be hospitalised? Could vampire blood heal a cold?

Quickly, she rushed into Tari's bedroom. A sight appeared in front of her, one that she hadn't expected to see.

Damon, Stefan and Tari were watching the television. Tari was actually in the bed, while Damon and Stefan were next to her. Elena stepped forward, alerting them to her presence, though none of them made a move to greet her.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," the three of them chorused, none of them moving their eyes from the screen.

"What are you three doing?"

"Watching _Frasier_," Damon answered.

She placed her hands on her hips. "So, I've been working all day, and you lot haven't been cooking dinner or cleaning, but watching the television."

"I'm sick," was Tari's excuse.

"Do you want to watch?" Damon asked.

She was almost speechless. "Wha-? Damon, we need to have dinner. I like to think that we at least _pretend _to be normal. Tari still needs meals-"

"I'm not hungry."

"And _CSI _is on next," Stefan added.

Elena paused. "_CSI_?" she asked.

In less than two minutes, she was sitting next to Stefan, watching television with the rest of them.

Almost like a family.

**XxX **

*** I don't have a clue what the weather like is in Virginia. I know it's not going to be boiling like it is in Florida, all round sun, but I don't know how cold it is. So I just assuming that it gets cooler October and then starts heating up in March. Anyway, let me know if I'm making any mistakes!**

**So, read and review! Once again, for all those who have already reviewed, I really truly appreciate it. **

**P.S. Sorry if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes. I'm trying to get it posted at...one in the morning, so I may not have noticed. Sorry! **

**xXx **

**03/07/11: Not my best chapter, I have to admit. But I thought it was sweet, the interaction with Damon and Tari. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!**


	10. Halloween

**Cough, gasp. I'M ALIVE!**

**I bet a lot of people who read this before didn't expect me to update this story, but well... What can I say? I'd been reading it through and new ideas popped into my head. So if any of you have returned to find out what happened next, here you are! The next chapter! I know – I'm just as surprised as you are.**

**IMPORTANT! READ PLEASE: **

**Before you read this chapter you should know I've read the previous chapters and fixed them of most mistakes (hopefully all) and made some slight changes. So before you read this chapter I would advise you to go back to the beginning and read the rest of the story again.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy it!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own only Tari, Liam, Allen and Mr Herman – THAT'S IT. NOTHING ELSE! I do NOT own Vampire Diaries OR One Tree Hill. Happy?**

**To see Tari's costume, go to this site:**

**.**

**For Sawyer's costume:**

**.com/costumes/Cupid-/0~1038221~20**

**For Allen's:**

**.com/costumes/Deluxe-Blue-Wizard/0~1053046~267**

**For Liam's:**

**.com/Joker-Costume-Heath-Ledger-Joker-Costume-Adult-Deluxe-Style-3**

**If you want to see Elena and Stefan's costumes, just pictured Monica and Chandler in the series eight Halloween episode. They're who I based their costumes on.**

**xXx **

**Chapter Nine**

**Halloween **

"Absolutely, categorically _not_!"

"Am I not allowed to have any fun?"

"You are as long as you're in my eyesight."

"So no."

"That's it," Elena said finally, slamming her book shut. She stood up, going towards the door. "I've had enough of this."

Stefan was beside in her in a flash. "Please don't," he said, almost begging. "I don't want another voice in this argument. This is Damon and Tari – you're not going to stop them."

"I don't care," Elena answered back. "I can't take the yelling any longer."

She threw the door open and went down the stairs to the kitchen. Tari and Damon had the counter between them, almost like a barrier to stop them from doing something they'd regret. Elena had to pause for a moment: they were mirror images of each other with their arms crossed and scowls on their faces.

"Okay," Elena said. She almost crossed her own arms when she realised she would look too much like Damon and Tari. "What the hell is going on?"

"I want to go to the Halloween party in the town square-"

"And I said you could!"

"But only if you're there!" Tari shot back.

Damon collapsed on the stool. "That's the deal, take it or leave it."

Tari shot a pleading glance at Elena. "Damon," Elena said, "she's fourteen. She doesn't want her dad watching her all the time."

"I don't care," snapped Damon. He made eye contact with Elena. "I don't want her going to a party where I can't make sure she's safe." Elena understood the implied meaning. She had to admit, if her child was in danger she would rarely let them out sight either.

"I'm fourteen and from New York," Tari interjected. "I think I can handle myself."

"Like you did with that vampire that attacked you?"

"You make it sound as if there are hundreds of vampires crawling round Mystic Falls."

Elena snorted, sitting on the stool beside Damon. "Believe me Tari, there's been plenty of evidence to the contrary."

"Then why are we living here?" Tari questioned. "If it's so dangerous, why don't we move to somewhere safer-"

"I would not move in New York if it was the only safe place on earth," Damon said harshly. "Besides, hide in plain sight. And I like to know what's going on – we're going off topic though. The point is that you're not going to that party by yourself."

"How about we go?"

The other three swivelled their heads; Stefan stood in the archway, smiling slightly at the solution. "Elena and I can go, have a good time, and while we're there we can keep an eye on Tari."

"Keep an eye on me," Tari muttered under her breath. "I'm not a fucking baby."

"Careful," snapped Damon, "or I'll ground you so you don't have a chance to go." Tari pressed her lips together, not wanting to risk her chances. She wasn't usually a party person, but she really wanted to go to this one. After all, Sawyer, Liam and Allen were going to be there, and that alone would make it fun.

Damon sighed, raising his eyes to the ceiling, and that was when Tari knew she had won. "Alright, I'll agree to that." He turned back to Tari, who was trying _really _hard not to grin in triumph. "However, I have some conditions."

"I'm listening."

"You have to be back by eleven."

"Midnight."

"Eleven thirty and that's my final offer." Tari nodded, knowing that she shouldn't push Damon. She would have to make sure she was on her best behaviour too; Damon would take any opportunity he could to ground her. She understood that he wanted to protect her – but it got increasingly annoying. What was the point of living if she didn't get to have any fun?

"You take your mobile phone and answer if I call-"

"As long as you only call if it's important," Tari interjected.

"And if Elena and Stefan feel that you need to come home, you go with them, no questions asked, okay?"

"Done," said Tari. "And I'll do all of that as long as you _promise _me that you won't check up on me. You're not going to show up by 'accident' are you?"

_Damn it_. "Fine," Damon said, attempting desperately not to grit his teeth. "I promise I won't check up on you."

After a moment or two of silence, Elena looked between them. "So are you two satisfied now?"

Damon glanced towards his daughter. She was looking toward him, almost pleading. _God, those eyes... _Now he knew how much power his own eyes could have. "Yes," he said finally. "I'm satisfied."

_Yes! _"Thank you thank you!" Tari said. Before any of the vampires could realise what the girl was doing, she ran round and hugged him. Damon was taken by surprise; it wasn't often that Tari initiated the hugs these days. Strangely enough it was him that was coercing hugs out of her. Lately Damon didn't recognise himself; he felt like he needed constant reassurance of her presence, to make sure she was there. Maybe it was because of Rebecca's death.

Damon allowed himself to enjoy the hug for a moment. "But I do have to approve your outfit."

Tari froze. She moved back. "But that's not – you didn't mention that!"

"I'm not letting you go out without at least seeing what you're wearing!"

Elena had previously been, she confessed, a little teary eyed at the scene. But now she groaned and shoved herself off the stool. Stefan grinned at Elena's expression. "Okay," she groaned. "I'll admit it. You were right."

Stefan slipped an arm round her back, leading her back upstairs. "I told you," he said with a smirk. "You can't stop those two from arguing. They're too much alike."

Elena glanced back at the kitchen. She could still hear Damon and Tari quarrelling about if he was going to be "generous" about what she was wearing. "Those Salvatore genes," she murmured. "They're dangerous."

**xXx **

"You have _supervision_ at this party?" Sawyer shut her locker with a bang, staring at Tari unbelievably. "You're kidding, right?"

"I wish," Tari answered. "I swear that's the best I could do. I almost had my father coming to this thing, and believe me, that would have been a lot worse."

Sawyer bit her lip. "Jeez. And I thought my dad was bad. Your dad makes mine seem like the Easter Bunny."

_You don't know the half of it, _Tari thought. Damon barely let her take one step out of the house without his say-so. She was looking forward to this party for more than the usual reason; it would be good to have fun away from his eagle eyes.

"So what you going as?" Tari asked as they made their way to English class.

"Sexy cupid," Sawyer said without shame. "Halloween is the only time when a girl can dress like a slut and no one can call them out on it."

"Girls will still think it though," Tari pointed out.

Sawyer shrugged. "Who cares what other people think?"

That was what Tari loved about Sawyer – she really didn't give a damn about what other people thought of her. She didn't care if people stared at her or if they stopped talking when she walked into a room, clearly talking about her; she would just walk straight past them, head held high, her caramel hair flowing behind her. Despite the weather she always had a small top underneath her sweatshirt, and always wore high heels that Tari was amazed she didn't fall over in. She had many friends – cheerleaders, football players, stoners, even teachers – but most of the time she hung out with Tari, Liam and Allen. Tari couldn't help but feel a little honoured about the fact she chose to hang out with them – with her – when she could hang out with anyone else.

They took their seats in class. "Well, I suppose it isn't as if your aunt and uncle are the only chaperones," Sawyer said thoughtfully. "Because it's technically a school party – even though half the town is coming – _teachers _are gonna be there." She raised her head to the front of the classroom. "You're going to be there, aren't you Mr Herman?"

The man smiled down at his notes. "Of course Sawyer. I live for underage drinking and screaming teens."

"Glad to hear it," she answered back with her usual smirk, flipping _Gone With The Wind _open. Tari could tell she was glancing to Mr Herman under her eyelashes.

Tari hid a smirk. She was amazed that Sawyer did not get detention for one of these comments. But the teachers – Mr Herman in particular – did not seem to mind. Tari was certain if she were saying some of the things she'd wind up having her father called – and she could only imagine what Damon would say.

"So I assume that we've all finished _Gone With The Wind_ – and if you haven't, then you'd better hurry up because the test is next week." Groans filled with classroom. "C'mon now," Mr Herman said. "I think _Gone With The Wind _is one of the easiest books on the reading list, considering when it was written. Now," he said, going to the board. "Is Scarlett an admirable character?"

"I don't think so," one of the other girls in the front row said. "She's incredibly selfish. She only ever thinks about herself. Even when she's helping Melanie give birth to the baby she is only doing it because Ashley wanted her to.

"But doesn't that prove she's not selfish?" Tari asked. "She didn't want to do it, but she didn't anyway because Ashley asked her to."

"But she did it for selfish reasons," the girl pointed out. "She was hoping he would choose her over Melanie."

"That's the thing," Sawyer jumped in. "Scarlett is completely and utterly blind. Rhett is _clearly_ the best choice."

Mr Herman turned on her, his eyes amused. "And why is that Sawyer?"

"Duh," she said with a smirk. "Bad boys are hotter."

Tari suddenly felt that feeling in her gut – like she was meant to be seeing something different. She looked between Sawyer and Mr Herman. His eyes landed on Sawyer, twinkling. Tari felt her stomach churn. _Does he _like _her? _She felt a shot of panic go through her. She didn't know this man, not really – she knew better teachers that had crossed that line.

She glanced at Sawyer. _Do I tell her? _Tari didn't think it would go down well. If anything, it would probably encourage Sawyer even more. She loved the girl, no question – for once she felt as if she had a best friend she could talk to without sounding insane; after all, Sawyer accepted people regardless of their faults – but she was absolutely fearless. While that had its advantages, it also meant Sawyer would leap into situations without thinking twice.

_Stop it! _Tari tried not to shake her head, remembering she was in a classroom with teenagers that would use any little fault in a person to gossip over. _It's nothing. You're overreacting. This is Sawyer – even she wouldn't go that far. It's just your imagination._

**xXx **

"Okay," Tari called from the bathroom. "Remember this is the only black skirt that goes with this, so you have to let me wear it!"

"I don't have to let you do anything," Damon said. He was lying on her bed flipping through her _Psychologies _magazine. It was a magazine for older women, but Tari still bought it anyway. He wasn't sure whether he should be pleased that she wasn't reading celebrity gossip magazines like other girls – or worried that she wasn't.

Tari came out of the bathroom – and Damon wished he had grounded her. She was wearing a red and black bustier top with a black tutu and red at the bottom. She had red horns on the top of her curled dark hair. And she was wearing _glovelets. _

_Oh fuck it, _Damon thought, staring at his daughter. _It would have been so much easier if I'd had a son. _

"Well?" Tari asked. She turned in a slow circle. Damon winced – her ass looked too good. "I look hot, right?"

"Why don't you have a jacket?" Damon suggested.

Tari bent down, applying her lipstick – Red Rose. "I won't need one," she answered. "They'll be so many people there, it'll be boiling."

_Time for the direct approach. _"Why don't you wear one so the entire world won't see your breasts?"

Tari glanced at herself in the mirror. Okay, her breasts were showing just a little, but what did it matter? She could guarantee Sawyer would be wearing something way worse, as well as other girls. "Look, many girls wear tops like this," she said, remembering that he said he'd get to approve her outfit. "It's not as if I'm going out with only a bra on."

Damon himself was rooting through her closest, wishing he could find a jacket that she would wear. Then again, he would have bet he could have pulled a designer jacket from the wardrobe and she still wouldn't wear it. _She's a teenage girl_, Damon told himself. _What did I expect? _

"You're my daughter," Damon said aloud. "And I say what goes."

Tari crossed her arms. "And I don't get to say anything?"

"Yes," Damon answered with a sigh. "But since I'm the adult I get to decide what's best for you."

Tari rolled her eyes. "Yeah, 'cause you're _such _a great role model."

Damon smirked. "Fine," he said. He had been fighting a losing batter with the jacket anyway. "But no kissing guys."

Tari smiled. "Well, it'll be difficult with all the guys lining up for me...but for you, I guess I could try."

"That's all I ask," he said, holding his hands up. "Now you should go; Stefan's having doubts about his costume and Elena wants to get him out of here before he can change his mind."

"Okay," Tari said. "See you later." Feeling slightly awkward about it, she went over and hugged him. Sometimes she felt strange about hugging Damon, but she was getting used to it. He was her father, after all, and since he'd become very huggable lately it was good that she got used to it.

"Oh, and I'll probably be in the Grill this evening," Damon called as Tari was going to the stairs.

It was amazing, the speed she turned round. "What?" she said. Her voice was high pitched, and Damon has to hide a smile. "You promised you wouldn't check up on me!"

"I'm not!" Damon said defensively. "I go to the Grill every night for drinks." When Tari gave him a look of disbelief, he said, "Look, I just wanted you to know that I'm going to be there if you need me, okay?"

Tari rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she muttered, whirling back around and going down the stairs.

"Nice to hear how pleased you are about that," Damon muttered. He was focussing on Tari that he didn't hear Elena coming behind him.

"She's a teenager Damon. She doesn't want to think about her dad being there."

"But she's fine with her aunt and uncle being there?" Damon asked. He couldn't help but let his eyes linger over Elena: she was Cat Woman, which meant that you could see every curve in her body. Years ago Damon wouldn't have been able to take his eyes off her; and yes, while she was attractive, it wasn't fifteen years ago. They had both changed.

"She knows that we'll back off," Elena said. She lifted her hand, fiddling with the cat ears headband. "You wouldn't be able to keep away from her. Admit it Damon."

Damon doesn't want to admit it. He wishes he could go back to how he used to be: not worrying about Tari every single second. He had to admit, he'd been worried about her before, but at least when she was living in New York he was able to forget he was a father. He trusted Rebecca would be able to protect Tari. _And look where that got you_, he thought bitterly.

But Damon's not one to lie, and especially to Elena, who's his best friend.

"I just want to make sure she's safe," he said.

Elena smiled softly. "Stefan and I will take care of it. We'll make sure she's safe."

"You know what to look for," Damon said to her, his voice low.

"Of course," Elena murmured back. "We'll make sure. I can't forget either of their faces if I tried." Sometimes when Elena closed her eyes she could see their faces, haunting her dreams. But the faces of her enemies weren't the worst of it; it was the faces of the people they'd lost that haunted her: Jenna, Vicki, her mom and dad, Isabel...

"Good," Damon said. The tone was getting too serious, so Damon plastered a smile on his face. "You'd better get going before Stefan changes his mind about wearing what you put him in."

"What?" Elena said, and he can tell it's worked; the shadows in her eyes disappeared. She grinned. "I think it's cute."

**xXx **

"This is so embarrassing," muttered Stefan.

"I have to agree with him," Tari said, though even she had trouble looking at Stefan and not grinning.

"Okay," Elena said, whirling round at the both of them. "We didn't even know we were coming to this party until tomorrow; it didn't give me much time to sort out costumes."

"But this?" Stefan gestured to his outfit. "You couldn't have found anything better than this?"

Elena and Tari both looked attractive in their costumes; but Stefan was wearing a big pink bunny outfit. It had everything that could possibly humiliate a man, such as big floppy ears and a white fluffy tail.

"I think it's sweet," Elena said, smiling. Usually this smile worked on Stefan, but his face still had a scowl on it.

He glanced at Tari. "What do you think?"

She bit her lip. "I can't lie to you Uncle Stefan. But I can run away from you." With that Tari marched through the crowd, losing herself in the mass of people. She loved her aunt and uncle, she did, but it didn't mean that she wasn't embarrassed by them.

Stefan turned his face to Elena. "Did you hear that?"

"I know," Elena whispered. "She just called you uncle."

"Not that," Stefan replied. "She couldn't even put words into how bad I look. This means I must look awful!"

Elena closed her eyes. _This is going to be a long night. _

She didn't know how right she was.

**xXx **

The bar was pretty quiet that night. Damon sat on the stool and ordered his usual. The barmaid gave him a quick smile but didn't give him much thought; he came in here almost every night. It was lame, he knew that, but he was too old to change a habit of the lifetime. Besides, right now he wanted to be in range of his daughter in case anything happened.

He never had any dates. He couldn't – not after Rebecca. He thought Elena had damaged him, but Rebecca... She had done a number on him, made him see the world in a whole new light.

And then shattered it into a million places.

He gripped the glass, moving back when he realised he'd cracked it.

Why did she have to die? If she hadn't died, then he wouldn't be stuck with Tari, and wouldn't have all these feelings rushing back. He was human, he knew he was, but he didn't want to be _this _human. He didn't want to feel the loss of Rebecca every damn day.

It had all started so promising.

_I'm walking down the street, enjoying the summer sunshine – and the time away from the boarding house. Elena and Stefan are picking out flowers, and it's not even for the wedding – it's for their engagement party, which of course I have to be there for. There's been too much wedding talk for my taste – and too much heart ache – so I decided to take a walk and focus on other matters. _

_One thing that has been on my mind: that girl, Rebecca. The night after we met I sat there for the entire night, hoping she would come by. But she didn't, and not the next night or the night after that. I gave up looking for her after a while. She's obviously left town. At least I had a good night though. _

_My mobile rings and I fish it out from my pocket. Groaning I debate if I can ignore this call, but Elena will just keep ringing, so I pick it up. "Hey." _

"_Damon, hey – where are you?" _

"_In town. Why?" I want to move this conversation fast, so I keep my answers as brief as I can. _

"_I was wondering if I could ask you something. The cake shop has some samples for us, but I'm so busy I can't even leave this house. So could you pick them up?" _

"_Cake?" I think for a moment. I can grab the cakes and get one for myself. Win-win. "Okay. It can be my good deed for the...year."_

_He hears her give a throaty laugh. "Thanks. God, this wedding is so hectic. I swear I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in weeks..." _

_I don't hear her, not really. My eyes are focussed down the street. A girl with blue jeans and long dark brown hair is walking away from me. It can't be – can it? Is it really her? _

"_...I just keep wondering if we're rushing into this..." _

_I walk into the road trying to get a better look at her, almost causing a car to collide with me. The horn yells at me, but I ignore it. I can't see her face, but – it looks like her! _

"_Damon, are you okay?" _

_I can't let her get away. "Yeah, listen Elena, I have to go." I hang up before she can say anything else and then charge down the street. _

_I don't want to seem desperate, but I can't help it. "Rebecca!" I call out, and she turns. _

_It's her. I allow myself to have a breath of relief. She looks just the same as she did before. She's even more beautiful than I remember: her dark hair is shiny, her skin clear. And those brown eyes of hers – they could set me on fire. I think they already have._

_She stares at me for a moment, and then a slow smile lands on her face, like warm maple syrup being drizzled over pancakes. "Damon," she says. The way she says my name...it makes my heart leap out of my chest._

"_Hi," I say. Now that I'm here I can't think of any words to say. C'mon – think brain, think! "Where've you been?" _

_She smiles and it looks easy for her. "I've been busy – looking after my sister's house. My parents are there too, which makes it a bit more comfortable. It's my sister's birthday, so we're all throwing a party for her when she gets back." She tilts her head, surveying me. "How are you?" _

_I shrug. I was so hammered I can't really remember what I said to her, but I have a feeling that I poured my heart out – something I don't like to do. But for some reason I've done it for her – and for some reason my compulsion doesn't seem to work on her. That's another that's been bothering me: why didn't it work on her. I don't think she's a witch. Usually I would ask her, but I don't want to scare her away. I can't take that risk. _

"_I've been better," I say carefully. _

_She gazes over me. "Are you okay?" she asks softly. _

_For some reason I want to tell her everything. I can't. I am Damon Salvatore – I do not bear my heart and soul to anyone. I learnt a long time ago that it's the best way to keep yourself safe; keep your heart's secrets and desires safe, and you will be too. I made a cock of that with Elena – I can't do it again. _

"_I will be," I answer. "Listen, do you want to grab some food?" _

_Her brown eyes show surprise. "I..." She takes a breath, not looking at me, and that's when I know it's bad news. "I don't want to get involved with someone who's hung over another person. I like you Damon-"_

"_Then give me a chance," I burst out. I don't want her to leave. I want to tell myself to calm down, to not overreact. But my mind doesn't tell my heart – or my voice apparently – what to do anymore. "I don't know why, but I like you – I like you a lot. For the first time in ages I actually want someone else. So, please, could you just give me a shot?" _

_Rebecca gazes at me for a moment. She's surveying me, and I wish I could read her mind. _

_Finally she speaks. "Okay," she says finally. _

_I grin, and part of me wants to punch the air with my fist. She can see the way I look and she laughs. "Let's just take it slow, okay? I don't want anything serious. Besides, if it's not serious then no one can get hurt, right?" _

_I smirk, nodding. "Sounds like a sound argument. So listen, I need to get some cake for my sister-in-law." I nod my head down the street. "Want to come? Free cake?"_

"_Why not?" she says. I walk forward and she falls in step with me. _

"_I knew you wouldn't be able to resist me." _

"_You? Don't be so delusional. I heard the words 'free cake'. That's the only reason I'm coming._

_I wonder if she'll regret her choice. I am Damon Salvatore after all, King of Bad Relationships. Even if it is bad, at least she's with me now. At least I can enjoy this moment with her._

He downed another glass. He shouldn't keep thinking about her. It just brought up bad memories – or rather, the pain of good ones. It was amazing, how in the blink of an eye your past could be your enemy.

Damon couldn't think about it. Not the past. He could only think about the present – and the future. He had to take care of Tari. That was the important thing.

If only she wasn't making it so difficult!

**xXx **

"There you are!" Sawyer wore an expression of relief when Tari shoved her way towards them. "Thought you'd gotten swallowed up by the mob – or sexy guys," she said with her trademark grin. She ran her eyes down Tari's devil costume. "Nice outfit."

"You too." Sawyer's caramel blonde hair made her shiny pink dress even brighter. It was short though: the bottom of the dress barely went past her ass; her breasts were practically coming out of it. She looked absolutely stunning; all the guys round them were taking sideway glances at her. Sawyer though, was oblivious to the attention. Or maybe she just didn't care.

"What about me?" Tari focussed on Allen. He was wearing a violet pointy hat, with a long purple gown that looked as if it could have been a dressing gown – if it didn't have stars over it. Tari almost hadn't recognised him because of the long white beard hiding his face.

"I already told you Al, you look stunning even though you appear to be an old man," Sawyer answered effortlessly.

Tari smiled at him. "Very authentic," she commented.

His eyes moved over to hers. "As is yours."

"Oi Bennett, are you saying I'm a devil?"

"You took my French fries at lunch – very cruel behaviour."

"Only because you and Liam pounced on my onion rings."

"God, you guys sound as if you should be obese," Sawyer said, ending the argument. "You both look good – end of."

"Where's Liam?" Tari asked.

Allen pointed over; Tari eyes widened. "Jesus," she hissed. Liam was dressed as the Joker from _The Dark Knight_. But he actually looked _scary_. She took a moment to recognise him, but it was definitely Liam; he was chatting up a bunch of sexy nurses.

Sawyer closed her eyes. "I know. He's doing this to get at me." At Allen and Tari's look, she explained. "I'm afraid of the Joker. I saw a Batman film when I was little and the Joker was so creepy, he gave me nightmares."

"Are you fighting?" Tari asked.

Allen answered for her. "It's Lee and Sawyer. There always getting at each other."

Sawyer rolled her eyes again. "Whatever. I'm making the rounds for any cute guys. I'll be back." She pushed her way through the crowd.

Tari shook her head. "She's so impatient."

"If she was an animal, she'd be a monkey: screeching, swinging from trees and being big eared."

"Thanks for saying that to me," Tari said with a smirk that mirrored her father's. "Blackmail's always handy."

Allen laughed. "So how've you been?"

She shrugged. "Okay." She looks to his face, seeing his eyes searching her face. "What?"

"It's just...you just seem a little stressed sometimes. A little out of it."

If it was anyone else Tari would be defensive, or maybe even insulted. But this was Allen. He was different from most boys; most were like Liam, in your face all the time, not serious. Tari loved Liam, but it was kinda refreshing to have someone like Allen too: quiet, considerate, noticing things about you that even you didn't see. He somehow seemed...almost like a kindred spirit of sorts.

"Life's complicated," she admitted.

"Because of your mom?" he murmured.

"Kinda," she said. Tari moved slowly away from the party, further away from people who may happen to overhear. "It's like... Like after my mom died, the glass shattered over the world I had in my mind, and reality set in. And reality's dark, unpleasant."

Allen watched her carefully. "Is it that bad?"

"No!" she said quickly. "It's not that bad, it's just..." Finding herself near tears she lifted her head to the sky. The sky was a clear dark blue, glittering with stars. "Some days it's extremely hard."

She felt warmth in her hand; looking down, she noticed Allen had quietly slipped his hand into hers. She glanced up to his face. His eyes were soft like melted chocolate. "I'm sorry."

She smiled gently. "Thank you Allen. Not just this – for everything."

"Right back at you."

**xXx **

Tari was getting punch (which she was pretty sure had alcohol in it, but she didn't care; in a way this was her rebelling, even if she only sipped it) when Liam appeared. Tari only saw him out the corner of her eye, and jumped.

Liam laughed. "Jumpy much?"

"Look in the mirror Lee; your own mother would be scared of you."

"Of course she would; she hates clowns."

"Sawyer hates the Joker; your mom hates clowns; jeez Liam, what's up with your family?"

He grinned. "A question that many therapists have tried to discover. Maybe I'll explain it a bit more one day."

Tari raised an eyebrow. "Sounds mysterious."

Liam shook his head. "When my dad was our age, him and his father had problems, as did his other son – Sawyer's father – and their uncle. It resulted in my grandfather shooting my great-uncle."

Tari's eyes widened. "Seriously? Lee..."

"No sympathy," said Liam, holding up his hands. "Seriously. It all happened long before I was born. I actually wanted to ask if you'd seen Sawyer."

Tari thought back. "Actually no. She said she was coming back here, but I haven't seen her in an hour." She watched as Liam glanced round; even with his face painted, she could tell he was anxious. "Okay, spill it."

"Spill it?"

"Whatever's going on that has you so anxious."

"For a New Yorker, you really need better language." He sighed. "She seems a little...off lately."

"She seems fine to me."

"No offence T, but you don't know her like I do. We shared a crib together. Our family's pretty big, and I have so many cousins it's amazing – I mean, our family is extended to other people that aren't even related to us. Don't get me wrong," he said quickly, "I'm lucky to have a big family, I know. But it's a bit crowded at times.

"Anyway, what I mean is that, out of all our cousins only Sawyer and I are the same age. My older brother Jamie is in college now, and my kid sister Lydia – well, she was too young to join in with all our games, as were Davis and Jude, my Aunt Brooke's sons. We spent are childhood growing up together. I know when something's bothered up with her. She's being too secretive."

"Aren't you overreacting a tad?"

"Not if you know Sawyer. You haven't seen one of her dramas yet." He shook his head. "Look, I just wanted to ask you if she mentioned anything to you."

Tari shook her head automatically. Liam looked at her properly. "If you know something, tell me."

"Liam, I swear, I don't know anything. I didn't even know there was a problem." She shook her head. "You can't protect Sawyer forever."

He bit his lip. "I know. But she's family."

"Okay," she said, a little cautiously. "But speaking from experience, the tighter you hold on to her the more she's going to try to break free." Seeing the look on his face, she suddenly felt sorry for him. He was only trying to protect his cousin. She squeezed his elbow. "I'll see if I can find her, okay?"

Tari wandered through the crowd. She couldn't believe how many people were there – it was even more crowded than it had been when she arrived. She glanced round for Sawyer, but there were too many people. Spotting a group of cheerleaders, she asked them if they knew where she was. Most of them pulled faces, but a nicer girl pointed over to one of the older buildings. "It's pretty much empty, but some kids go in there to drink and smoke where chaperones can't see them. She might be in there."

It was a good bet. After all, Sawyer had many friends who were stoners. Tari made her way to the building. "Hey," a voice called behind her. Tari turned and recognised Elena.

She had to do a double-take though. For some reason her brain didn't believe that it could be Elena. But of course it was Elena. I mean, who else could it be?

"Everything okay?" she asked her aunt. She had a sudden grip of fear that they would decide it was time to go. After all, Damon had insisted that Stefan and Elena had to be at the party with her – and that she had to leave, no questions asked.

"Relax," Elena said with a smile. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

Tari relaxed – or tried to. For some reason she couldn't quite get there. Something was off, a feeling that she was getting more often lately. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Where you heading?"

"Oh," she said, turning her head to point at the building. "One of my friends is in there. I'm just going to check on her."

Elena nodded. "Okay. We'll be leaving round midnight, okay?"

As Elena walked away, Tari turned to the building. She paused for a moment though, digesting Elena's words. Midnight? Damon had said eleven thirty. Had he changed his mind? Well, Tari wasn't one to complain.

The building that the cheerleader had pointed out to her was empty. Tari felt the hairs on her arms rise. It was dark and dim, out of use for years. She had expected to find a few kids in there, but the place was deserted.

She was just about to turn away when she froze. She heard a noise from the back of the building.

She turned round and closed her eyes, listening again. She barely breathed. Tari heard it again – a shuffling sort of noise. She opened her blue eyes, searching for the source. It seemed to be coming from the corner of the building – behind the door.

Looking back, Tari shook her head at how foolish she had been. Why had she even cared? It could have been rats. But something told her to move forwards, to go see what was behind the door. It was stupid and insane, but Tari couldn't help herself.

She took a deep breath and flung the door open. Of all the things she had imagined, she had not expected what really led behind the door.

There was Sawyer. Her dress had been pulled down, her breasts showing (Tari really wished she had been wearing a bra). Her lips, before they had been pulled away, had been on another guy. When the door opened, the couple broke apart, Sawyer hastily yanking her dress up. Only then was Tari able to get a look at the man.

"Mr Herman?" she breathed.

At least the teacher had the grace to look embarrassed. "Listen-"

"I'm sorry," she said quickly.

Sawyer came forward, into the light. Her usual calm, confident face was creased with worry. Tari almost didn't recognise her. "Tari-"

"I've got to go," Tari said quickly, closing the door on them. Without looking back she turned to run. Knowing they would expect her to go through the front entrance leading back to the town square, she rushed through the back door.

Closing the door carefully, she leant back again it. Taking a deep breath she found herself coughing. She had let herself into an alley – where all the rubbish was. It smelt so bad that Tari opted to breathe through her mouth and move away a little.

She was right. _She was right_. She couldn't believe it. She'd thought about it in English – but she'd thought she was insane as usual, her overactive imagination formulating plots that weren't actually there. But Sawyer – she was with Mr Herman. Tari's mind flashed through previous conversations in English, noting how Sawyer always seemed to be flirting and Mr Herman never seemed to mind. She wondered how it had begun – _when _it had begun.

_Oh my God. _She remembered. On the first day Sawyer had mentioned how she'd had a boyfriend – and how she didn't want Liam or Allen finding out.

_It was Mr Herman_. _It was him all along_. Closing her eyes she leant back against the door. _I'm such an idiot. How did I not see this? _

Tari was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the crackling sound beside her. It was only when she smelt smoke she opened her eyes.

In the bin beside her a flame had sprung up. Tari recoiled on instinct, leaning against the wall. If she'd had more time she would have been able to move away further, but in the blink of an eye the flames surrounded her. She tried to move over to the door, but found she was cut off by the flames.

She was trapped.


	11. It get's scarier

**Longest chapter YET! **

**I honestly couldn't stop writing. I'm not sure if I'm happy about the ending, but whatever. I'm pretty pleased with the rest of it. I hope you lot like it too. **

**Enjoy!**

**For Alaric's costume: **

**.com/costumes/Cowboy-Duster-Coat/0~498808~283 **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill. I do not own any of the characters except Tari, Liam, Allen and Mr Herman. **

**xXx **

**Chapter Ten**

**It get's scarier **

There was no way out.

The flames had her pinned against the wall. Tari tried to call for help, but the smoke choked her – she could only cough. It was so _hot_. Her skin began to burn and the flames weren't even touching her. Panic began to set in. _This is how I die. Oh God this is how I die. _

_At least I'll see Mom again. _

And on the heels of that, she had time to think: _I'm sorry Dad. I'm sorry you've had to lose the both of us. _

It seemed an agonising amount of time before she saw him. She lifted her head and through the tops of the flames, she saw a face. Narrowing her gaze, she realised that it was Allen. He was still in the same costume, but his beard had fallen off. It was how she recognised him.

At first Tari thought she was imagining him. _Strange, how in my last moments I see Allen. _

Then it struck her – he was there! He could help her.

She tried to call out for him to get help, but by now there was so much smoke she could barely see let alone speak. She could still see the purple colour of his costume. _Why isn't he getting help! _

She forced herself to stand – she almost hadn't realised that she'd fallen to her knees – and focussed on him. He was staring at her, at the flames. The gaze was so sombre, so serious that it scared Tari, just a little less than the flames did.

"Allen?" she called cautiously, forgetting everything but the look in his eyes. That's when she realised: she could see him, clearly, and speak! She hectically looked to the ground and saw the flames disappearing right before her eyes. The heat that they had given off had almost decreased, until it finally disappeared when the flames did.

She felt as if she was dreaming. It was hard to explain: one minute the flames were there and you thought these were going to be your final moments and then POOF! Suddenly they were gone again; the alley looked the same as it had done before the fire had started.

Tari wasn't even aware that Allen had moved closer until he felt his hand on her arm. "C'mon," he said, his mouth in her ear. "We need to leave." He pulled her back into the building that Sawyer and Mr Herman had been in as she coughed, her chest feeling as if it was going to explode. In honesty Tari had forgotten all about them – her mind was still filled with the flames.

The building was still empty, to Tari's relief. She collapsed on a wooden crate, catching her breath. "Tari," Allen said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she wheezed before coughing again. "I'm okay."

"You need some water-"

Allen was moving away, but Tari grabbed hold of his robe, instantly stilling him. "I'm fine," she insisted, pleased that she didn't cough. "What happened back there?"

Allen stared at her, silent.

"Those flames – they appeared out of nowhere – and then they disappeared! How- What- How did that even happen?"

Allen was still quiet, his lip in a straight line. Looking at him, Tari noticed that he looked guilty. That thought froze her mind which, in the previous moment, had been teaming with questions. Only one thing ran through it now: _he knows something. _

"What is it?" Tari asked. "What do you know?"

"You're not going to like it," he said. His voice was quiet, gentle. It almost had a pleading tone to it.

Dredging up her strength she forced herself to stand. "Allen, my life was just in danger. This is serious. I need to know what's going on." She tried to keep her cool, but even she could hear the high-pitched note in her voice.

"You won't believe it."

She crossed her arms. "Trust me, whatever secret you're holding, you can bet I've heard a worse one."

"I'm a warlock."

_I'm sorry – WHAT? _

**xXx **

"Oh thank God." Alaric collapsed next to Damon. "I need a drink."

"Aren't you supposed to be babysitting my daughter?" Damon asked.

Alaric rolled his eyes. "Damon, you've already got Elena and Stefan watching out for her. She'll be fine."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better."

"I never thought you'd be more serious and obsessive than Stefan," Alaric said. He caught the barmaid's attention. "Two glasses of scotch."

Damon finished his last one. "So tell me Teacher, how's my daughter doing?"

"'My daughter?'" Alaric shook his head. "It's going to take me ages to get used to that." He accepted the scotch that the barmaid gave them and took a sip. "Pretty well, actually. We're learning about – well, the Civil War actually," said Alaric with a grin. "Her last paper got an A-."

Damon sat a little straighter. "She did? Why didn't she tell me?"

"Oh relax, you'll be getting a report card."

Damon sighed. "She doesn't tell me anything."

"She's a teenager-"

"Everyone keeps on saying that: 'She's a teenager; she's a girl'. But she's _my _teenage girl. And I'll admit, I've never been the most involved parent. But when I did visit, she was always attentive and happy and..." He trailed off. Seeing Tari then was like a different girl: she was chatty and laughing, but looking back Damon realised they never talked about anything _serious_. There relationship had only been skin-deep.

Alaric smiled. "You know the answer Damon."

"Yeah, I do." He sighed again. "She's different because of her mom's death. And I know that spending a few days with her is different from spending full time with her. I just wish she'd throw me a bone or something – at least let me know I'm doing a good job, or even an okay job."

"I think..." Alaric bit his lip. It was going to sound a little mushy, but... "I think you'll know one day. She'll let you know."

They were silent for a moment. "Do you remember when I used to be fun?"

"I remember when you used to be dangerous, yes."

"I used to have a life."

"You never had a life – or rather a safe one."

"What's the point of having a safe life?" Damon asked. "Might as well have fun."

"Didn't you read Parenting for Dummies? Once you have a child you have no life."

"In that case," Damon said, finishing his glass, "I hope you have ten children." He took a proper look at Alaric. "What the hell are wearing?" He had a cowboy hate placed on his head, a long waist coat, and a red scarf round his neck.

"What?" Alaric said, getting up. "I'm a cowboy."

Damon's look said it all.

"It's not the worst costume," he said defensively. "Have you seen what Stefan's wearing?"

Damon smirked. "I warned him about feeding on bunny blood."

**xXx **

_This is a dream – all of it. I'll wake up and I'll be in my apartment in New York. Mom will still be alive and they'll be no vampires or warlocks. _

"Tari?" Allen's voice swam back to her. She returned to him. His eyes were round with worry. She didn't know whether it was for himself or for her. "Are you okay?"

"Okay?" she choked out. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just found out that warlocks exist. No worries at all."

"This can't be such a shock." Allen's voice was low, almost a whisper. "After all, your family are vampires."

Tari felt her heart stop. She jolted to look at Allen. He looked...not scared, no. Upset yes, but...more sympathetic. And that angered Tari even more.

"How the hell-? How did you know?" She stood up again – better to be on the offensive.

"I found some of my mom's old journals. It was about fifteen or sixteen years ago, but our parents fought against these other vampires. She's a witch too. Anyway, that's when I found out your second name was Salvatore I knew that you were mixed up into it."

"Wait a minute." Tari felt all the breath leave her body. "Were you, _spying _on me?"

He gazed away from her, his chest moving up in a deep sigh. "A little. Not at first though!" he said as Tari turned away, shaking her head. "When I first met you, you were just a girl – a fun, pretty girl."

"And after?" Her voice was trembling and she wanted to kick herself for showing weakness.

"I was a bit worried, to tell you the truth. I thought that there was some...I don't know, plot going on. My mom's journal made it seem like Damon Salvatore was a bit of a dick. I thought something was up. And then I got to know you," he said simply.

"You're good Tari. I didn't think we needed any more people in our group, but – it's like your family now."

"Family?" snapped Tari. "Family don't lie to each other."

"Well you weren't honest either!" Allen shot back. "You didn't tell us about your family. But I get it Tari – you can't just tell anyone this secret. I mean, who would believe you for a start? We just wanted to wait until we got to know you better-"

"We?" Tari stared at him. "Are you saying Sawyer and Liam-"

"Know that I'm a warlock? Yeah, they do." He shrugged. "It's not like I could keep it from them. But that's what I'm saying Tari! They understand – you can trust us."

"_Trust _you? How can I trust you? You set the place on fire!"

Tari tried to push away, but Allen grabbed hold of her. "I didn't start the fire Tari," he said. He lowered his voice. "I just stopped it."

If she had been in a better mood, Tari would have been touched by what he said. But she was so...overwhelmed. The fire had terrified her more than she realised; she was only now starting to feel the effects. Her throat was dry and her skin was still burning. She had barely come to terms with fact her father was a vampire – now her friend was a warlock? And everyone knew? Why was she the one that was left out?

She stared Allen in the face, and swiftly jerked her arm away. "Stay away from me."

She didn't realise how far she'd come until she noticed the people around her. The party was in full swing, but Tari could no longer get enthusiastic about it. She felt like the teenagers around her didn't understand any of it. They worried about school and their parents not understanding them and whether their boyfriend/girlfriend thought the quarterback/head cheerleader was cute. They didn't worry about being attacked by a vampire while walking down the street; didn't think about whether that, one day, they might have a sudden craving for blood.

"Tari?" Liam grabbed her arm, whirling her round. "Where've you been?"

"Not now Liam," Tari said. She couldn't talk to him right now. So much had happened...

"Where is everyone?" he demanded. "Did you find Sawyer?"

"She's..." She gestured in the air. "Look Liam, I can't talk right now."

It looked as if he was frowning through the face paint. "Tari, what's going on?"

"Ask Allen," she answered, finally snapping. "You guys share everything!" She broke free of Liam's grip and pushed her way through the crowd, so violently she knocked a few people who were unsteady on their feet.

She didn't know where Elena or Stefan were, and even if she did, she wouldn't know what to say them. She closed her eyes. Her head was pounding. _I need to get out of here. I need it to be quiet. _

**xXx **

Damon didn't know how many drinks he'd had, but he wasn't really feeling the effects. It didn't bother him so much anymore – his body had become almost immune to his usual intake of alcohol. He noticed the quiet with emphasis. There was plenty of noise outside, making people pause before entering the Grill.

"Damon?"

He was amazed he hadn't heard his daughter's footsteps before. He lifted his gaze to her. Automatically he analysed her: she had her arms crossed, but it almost looked as if she was holding herself together. She looked more fragile, as if she'd been knocked down. He felt his stomach tighten, but forced his face to remain indifferent.

"Yeah?"

"Can you take me home?"

A million questions ran through his mind, but he didn't voice any – it almost didn't seem as if she could take it. That confident girl that had left earlier tonight now looked as pale as paper, and utterly worn out. "Sure," he said, standing.

Before they moved away, he took off his leather jacket and gently placed it round her shoulders. She looked so young and small, as if a mild wind could blow her over. She gave him a small smile in return, despite how forced it seemed.

As he led her out, he couldn't help but think Alaric was right: they let you know that you were doing a good job.

**xXx **

Tari took a shower.

She didn't realise how cold she was until she stepped into the rain of water. It felt _so _good though – like a hug. She could just fall asleep at the warmth of it.

She'd had such high hopes for this party. She honestly thought she'd have a good time. There would be no drama; she could have fun and forget about vampires. But she was beginning to realise that you could never forget about them. Vampires would forever be a part of her life.

_The world has changed_, she said to herself. _You won't ever see it in the same way again._

She closed her eyes. She remembered how she would get up on a Sunday morning and her mother would appear in her pyjamas; they would share coffee before getting dress and going for brunch at the diner a few blocks away. They would always try to sit in a certain area so they would get the cute Indian guy and not the perky waitress who gave them a headache. Watching the waitress, they would try to guess how much Prozac she was on.

That world would never return.

_Get over it_, she told herself. _You've got to deal with it now. This is _your _life. Make it better. _

Still, those words didn't give her much encouragement.

She stepped out the shower, drying herself with a towel. She had to hand it to Damon, at least he made sure she had the best of things. She cuddled the towel close to her body. It was twice her size and as soft as a baby chick's feathers. _They should make carpets_ _out of this_.

Before leaving the bathroom, she paused, peering into the mirror. She didn't look like the same girl that she had been before – _before _the vampires, _before _her mother died. There was no marked difference, but her eyes. Had they gone darker? Or maybe it was just the shadows that the knowledge had brought her?

_It's true what they say. Ignorance is bliss. _

She crawled onto her bed. Stefan always made the beds after like, one night – something that Tari was amazed at considering how much money it would cost. But she had come to appreciate the clean covers, ironed and soft. She slept so much better.

There was a knock on the door. Tari couldn't help but be surprised when had to call him in – usually Damon knocked quickly and then burst in without warning. _He must feel bad for me_. She wondered if Damon feeling sorry for her would give her more freedom, even for a short period of time. She was surprised that she didn't gain any joy in that thought.

"Here." He handed her a warm mug. Tari could smell the hot chocolate. "I thought you'd prefer this."

"Thanks," she sighed, taking it. Cautiously she lifted the drink to her lips. It burnt slightly, but the chocolate soothed the soreness of her throat.

Damon waited for her to put the mug down before crawling on the bed. "Okay kid, you've gotta give me something. You come back looking scared and stinking of smoke. Did something happen?" He studied her face.

"I'm fine," she answered. What could she tell Damon? She didn't exactly think that Allen would want him to know. After all, it wasn't her secret to tell.

Damon tilted his head, giving her a disbelieving look. "C'mon Tari. I know you."

"Damon, can you just leave it?" Tari wanted to beg him, plead that he would let this drop. She just wanted Damon to stop pestering her, to stop wanting to peer into her mind.

"Just tell me that you're okay," Damon said. "And mean it," he added.

"I will be," she said after a moment. "Tonight was just..." She closed her eyes. "A Friday night I guess."

"You're sounding cryptic," he commented.

"It's been a difficult night."

Damon settled against the pillows and Tari rolled her eyes. _I guess he's staying_. "Can I have three guesses?"

"No."

"Oh come on."

"You're like a four year old."

"Better than being fourteen and...bitchy," Damon shot back, giving her a grin.

Without thinking Tari reached for the side of the table and wacked him with a book. He didn't even wince, just snatched the book from her grasp. "What did you think?" he said, flipping through the pages of _Gone With The Wind. _

Tari thought for a moment. "Heartbreaking."

"But honest."

"If _I'm _honest," Tari began, pleased that they're not continuing the previous conversation. "I was disappointed. The story was so good, and the romance between Rhett and Scarlett was so beautiful. You're meant to fall in love with Rhett – and of course you do, because he's kind and unloved and sweet – and you even like Scarlett, because she gets past the pain and begins to fight for herself, even though she's incredibly selfish. They should have lived happily ever."

Damon sat up a little, leading against the wooden bed head. "Life's not a fairytale," he pointed out. "It was just being true to that."

Tari shook her head. "I'd rewrite it."

"Someone did a sequel. I wouldn't read it though, it's crappy."

"But I need a happy ending," Tari pressed on. "Does it end happily?"

Damon stared into her eyes; they were so blue, so watery blue they reminded him of pearls. "Sure," he said softly. He wrapped his arm round her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

For once, Tari didn't want to pull away. After tonight it just felt so good to be _held_. She felt tired – deep bone tired. All the thoughts were swirling in her head, and she knew that the only thing that would make her relax would be too sleep and forget. And so, for once, Tari didn't need to be sick to allow herself to be held. She moved closer to Damon, sitting in his lap. Eyes still closed, she said, "Tell me a story."

She could feel Damon's smirk. "What story?"

"Any story."

He pursed his lips, thinking, and then smiled. "Did your mother ever tell you about the time she lost you?"

She grins into his chest. "No."

"You were three, maybe four. I was visiting, but I'd had a long night – we both had. But your mother needed to get some new clothes for you, so she woke up early and left. A few hours later I get a _way _too early phone call from your mother, frantic because she couldn't find you.

"We had the entire staff in the mall looking for you. It was about two hours before we found you again."

"Where was I?"

"In the backroom of a clothing store. It seems as if you were tired too, because you'd curled up on a pile of sweaters." For a moment Damon had just stood there staring at her. He had been so relieved that she hadn't been snatched by some paedophile – after all, there were some things even Damon wouldn't be able to fix. That had been one of the few times he was furious with Rebecca. Rebecca had screamed at Tari; Tari had burst into tears; Rebecca had burst into tears; Damon had shook his head and taken them both home and made ice cream sundaes. The staff at the mall had been extremely relieved to see them go.

He realised Tari had gone still in his arms. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked softly.

"Just stay for a while," she murmured.

Damon smiled, feeling it echo through his body. _My pleasure. _

**xXx **

"She escaped." Her voice was almost inaudible. Nervously she watched the man by the window. He was standing in the moonlight, a glass in his hand.

"I noticed," he hissed. He pressed the glass to his head. "This was supposed to be easy."

"She's Damon Salvatore's daughter-"

Before she could finish he sped towards her, stabbing her in the stomach. She gasped, falling to her knees. "Do _not_ say that name," he hissed.

Even after all these years, it still hurt. Screwing her eyes together, she yanked it back out. Pressing her hand to her stomach, she waited for it to heal.

"Next time," he called from behind her, "you won't fail."

**xXx**

Tari woke up early that morning. Her mind was still groggy from sleep, but enough to remember where she was. She didn't _quite _remember what happened last night – just enough to know that she didn't want to think about it.

She _loved _mornings like this. Those lazy mornings when she didn't have to do anything, she could just lie in bed. And this bed was _so _comfortable. She spread out on the mattress, loving how huge it was. The beds were definitely one good thing about living here – maybe the only thing. Yes New York was great, but everything was so small and cramped. She would never admit that Mystic Falls had something better than New York. She would never hear the end of it, not from Damon or her friends –

Sawyer. Allen. Liam.

Mr Herman.

_Warlock. _

Tari groaned, shoving the covers off her. Oh God, it was crazy. Did this town get hit by a comet or something? Was that why there were so many freaky people wandering around the town?

_You're one of them_, a little voice in her head whispered.

Her phone vibrated. Tari glowered at it, knowing that the news wouldn't be good. Nonetheless she reached forward and grabbed it. She read the text, biting her lip and thinking. Part of her just wanted to stay in her room and play loud music. Did she really want to go?

_It's your life_, another voice reminded her. _Take control_.

She sent a text back, already having a feeling she was going to regret it. Especially because it meant she would now have to get up. So much for her good morning.

In a hurry she got dressed, only tying her hair in a messy ponytail and not even putting make up on. She was starving – she hadn't eaten much dinner last night, had been too busy thinking about the party – and she knew she needed to eat something. She searched the kitchen, finally deciding on an oat and honey snack bar (Damon usually snuck in the chocolate and marshmallow kind, but lately Elena had cracked down on the junk food). Before leaving she paused, wondering whether she should leave Damon a note. Back in New York she would pop out all the time to get to the shops without letting her mother know. Then again, if she had been gone out for long than one or two hours her mother would call her. And this was Damon, who was obsessive about knowing where she was.

Finally she grabbed a scrap piece of paper. _Gone out into town – be back in a few hours. T xxx _Satisfied she placed it on the counter, feeling slightly pleased with herself. Damon would have no reason to punish her now.

She stepped outside, opening the snack bar – and then rammed straight into someone. By the way she was pushed back while he didn't even move told her who it was.

Damon looked at her as if she was a delinquent. "Where do you think you're going?"

Tari stared at him for a moment before sending him a glare. "Does this necklace have a motion detector in it or something?"

He scoffed. "Did you forget that I'm a vampire? Super hearing? You weren't exactly being quiet." He checked her out. "Where are you going without make up and with your hair a mess? Isn't the reason I have to wake you up at six fifty every morning because you have to spend time doing your hair and make up?"

"I'm going out to meet some friends."

"This early?" His raised eyebrow said it all.

She sighed. "Yes, this early."

"Does this have anything to do with what happened last night?"

Tari tried to avoid his gaze. "Maybe." Hastily attempting to avoid questioning, she said, "I left you a note."

"Where?"

"On the counter."

He flashed away, but Tari didn't move. She knew he would be coming back, and sure enough in the next second he was back, holding the note.

"That doesn't give me much information," Damon told her, his eyes scanning it.

"But it lets you know I haven't been kidnapped," Tari pointed out. "Look, I'll be back before you know it."

Damon took the snack bar out of her hand. "Or you could just tell me what's going on," he suggested. He took a bite of the snack bar, and then pulled a face. "God this is vile."

Tari snatched it back. "I won't be long." She took a bite and then screwed up her eyes. "You're right, this is gross. Don't let Elena do the shopping anymore."

"Yeah, 'cause I have nothing better to do than to go food shopping."

Tari was well aware that time was passing. Surely they would be beginning to panic. "Can I go now?"

Damon lifted his hand, looking at his watch. "Be back here in...three hours."

"Seriously? You're giving me a time limit?"

"If you come back by eleven, there may be...pancakes?"

Tari perked up. "Really? Proper pancakes, not things from a packet? And not by Elena, right?"

"Elena will not touch them," vowed Damon. "So, see you in three hours?"

"Done," Tari said.

Damon watched her leave smirking. Screw parenting books – bribery worked every time. He should have tried that in the first place.

**xXx **

Tari saw Sawyer first. Her friend, usually so careful with her appearance, now had her hair tied up just like Tari and was wearing loose jeans and a sweatshirt. The skin on her face was pallid, but it didn't make her look ill; she looked like a model. Amazing how Sawyer could have a late night, and possibly no sleep as she was filled with worry, and still look stunning. Suddenly Tari felt incredibly scruffy.

She was also the one who spotted Tari. She stood straighter, causing Liam and Allen to look round. They all stood absolutely still, staring at her.

She paused. "Jesus, it's like I'm a defendant at court. Am I guilty?"

Liam let out a low chuckle, though Sawyer and Allen stayed serious. "We need to explain," Allen answered.

They had asked to meet at the lagoon, where they had taken her on the first day. Tari remembered how much fun they'd all had; how she hadn't laughed like that since her mother had died. She felt a sudden ache in her chest; it came on so quickly it was like a stab to the heart.

She crossed her arms. "I'm listening."

Allen stepped forward. "You have to understand why we didn't tell you – about me, I mean."

"I understand that," Tari interrupted. "I get that. What upsets me is that you were spying on me."

"We weren't spying," Liam said. "Honestly. We were just worried about you."

"I've read about Damon Salvatore," Allen said. "My mom knew him. He's dangerous Tari. He's unpredictable and reckless. We just wanted to make sure that you weren't in trouble."

"You're mother's wrong." Tari could feel her blood flowing through her, almost like a raging river. It was boiling her. "He's my father. From what I gather they haven't hung out in ages – how would she know that he's changed? And even if he is a huge pain in the ass, _you_ aren't allowed to say that."

Allen held up his hands. "Okay! We get it!"

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay." It was the first time Sawyer had spoken. Her voice was soft, like a feather. "We were wrong."

"Get a tape recorder," Liam said, smirking. "Sawyer just admitted she was wrong."

His cousin shoved him. "I said _we _were wrong idiot. That includes you." She turned back to Tari. "We know you now. We get that we can trust you, which is why were telling you this. Allen's a warlock. It's no big deal – alright," she said when she saw Tari open her mouth. "It is a big deal. But it's...more of a fact than anything else. We don't care if you're a vampire or a werewolf or just a plain bitch. You're our friend."

"More than that," Liam added. "You're family."

"Part of our family." Allen said, moving closer. They were close together, all of them in a circle.

Tari couldn't help but give in. She was mad – had been mad last night, but this morning had given her clarity. Even she wasn't naive to know that Damon hadn't been the best man in previous years – after all, he was a vampire. They were her friends. It was natural that they should be worried about her.

"You guys are idiots," she said, allowing a reluctant smile to grace her face.

"The worst," Allen said instantly, hugging her.

"I wasn't that bad," answered Liam. Before Tari could move all four of them were stuck together in a group hug. "No more lies."

"Or secrets," Tari said, looking pointedly at Sawyer.

"And no shit," Sawyer added, though she avoided her gaze.

"I now pronounce us best friends forever and a day," Allen echoed.

"Can we stop the sappiness now?" said Liam, the first to pull away.

"Yeah, even I think it's getting a bit mushy," said Sawyer. She looked at Tari. "Can we have a minute?" she asked the guys.

Both of them looked at the girls. They were both hypersensitive right now to any arguments, and Tari could tell they would do anything to avoid a fight. "It's okay," she said to Liam and Allen.

Allen looked as if he was about to say something, but Liam grabbed his best friend's shoulder. "We'll see you outside the Grill," he called.

Once the boys were gone, Sawyer faced Tari head on. "You must have a lot of questions," she said.

"Just a few," said Tari. She lifted her head, watching her friend. The girl was fidgeting, nudging the autumn leaves on the ground with her feet. "When did this...thing begin?"

Sawyer swallowed. "At the end of last year. I always thought that he was cute – I mean, everyone did. I wanted him to sign my yearbook. We were alone, and he was joking about something, and we were so close to each other it just...happened," Sawyer finished lamely. Tari could almost picture it: the heat unbearable in a stuffy classroom, Sawyer would have been showing a lot of skin. He was intelligent and funny, Tari could see that Sawyer admired him. How they were so close together, Sawyer with her curious nature, she just couldn't resist.

"We both knew what we were doing was wrong," Sawyer lamented. "We couldn't help it though. We ended up spending a lot of the summer together. It was hard finding excuses for my parents – even harder with Liam. He knows me so well."

"He knows something's up," Tari informed her.

Sawyer closed her eyes, as if it pained her. "I don't want him to worry about me. I mean, the whole reason Peter and I-"

"Peter?"

Red rushed over Sawyer's face. "Mr Herman," she muttered.

"Oh," said Tari, feeling her embarrassment.

"We broke it off, remember?" Sawyer looked bitter, her green eyes dark. "Before school began. It was getting to difficult to keep lying to Allen and Liam. The school year was starting. It was easier in the summer, but with the school beginning it made it more serious – he was actually dating a student then.

"But it was _so _painful." Her voice was a whisper. "No matter what I did, I couldn't make myself feel better. I was so down my Aunt Brooke even asked me if I wanted to model for her. I said no. I didn't feel pretty, not then.

"A few days I went to his flat. He didn't want to see me, but I begged and pleaded and even cried. I didn't recognise myself. Somehow – and I don't even remember _how _–he took me back. We've been going out for nearly six months now."

Tari went towards Sawyer, sitting opposite her. "You know how stupid this is, right? How incredibly reckless it is?"

"I got it," Sawyer answered, though a little snippily.

"Good, 'cause you're facing suspension and he could lose his job if you get caught."

"We know. We know what we're getting into. We're careful, Tari."

"You flirt with him right in front of the class!"

"And I do the same with Mr Saltzman, Mr St Patrick, and mouth off all the time to that Nazi of a P.E. teacher. I gossip and share clothes with Miss Fallacy. I make sure that I'm friendly with all the teachers so no one will suspect that there's something going on with Pet- Mr Herman. I know what I'm doing Tari. Trust me."

Tari lifted her head to the sky. "What about Allen and Liam?" she said after a moment.

"You can't tell them Tari." Sawyer turned to her. Her face wasn't earnest, just tired. "You know Liam. He would freak out, and what's even worse, he might end up punching the shit out of him. He's not exactly one for being cautious, especially when it comes to me."

"What was that just then? No lies or secrets? Was all that a lie?"

"No I-" Sawyer took a deep breath. "I know. But I can't tell them. I didn't even want _you _to know."

"And how is Liam gonna react when he finds out-"

"He _won't _find out."

"But let's just say he does. How is he going to react when he realises that I knew and never told him?"

"If Liam finds out, _believe _me, he won't be mad at you. I'll be the one who'll be lined up for death row." She turned her entire body to face Tari. "I know what I'm asking you to do is a big deal. But I love him Tari."

"Sawyer-"

"I'm old enough to know what love is," she informed Tari. "I've been with jocks who don't know how to spell their own name and stoners who don't know what day it is. They are so immature, and Peter... He talks about art and music and he _challenges _me. I love it."

Tari recalled the first day she met Sawyer, when she thought the blonde had brains as well as beauty. She suddenly understood how Sawyer would get annoyed with boys who weren't up to her level of intelligence.

Besides, what could she really do? She knew by now that once Sawyer's mind was made up, there was no changing it.

She sighed. "I'm not going to act as a liaison between the two of you. You can confide in me, but that's it."

"That's all I ask," Sawyer answered, visibly brightening. She was beginning to return to her old self again, with that witty twinkle in her eye and that cheeky smile on her face.

"You shouldn't be asking anything of me," Tari said, once again sighing. Sawyer collapsed on her, hugging and smiling.

"Thanks T," she said, her voice ringing, genuinely sincere.

"You're welcome S." Tari stood up, pulling Sawyer up with her. "Now let's go. Liam and Allen won't remain patient forever."

**xXx **

"Let me just give you a hand-"

"Get those hands off Elena!"

"But you're doing it wrong."

Tari gently closed the door, leaning back against it. She was half an hour early – the thing with her friends went faster than she thought it was going to. She didn't do anything for a moment though; she simply paused, listening to them.

"I've got at least a hundred and fifty years experience on you."

"In arrogance, yeah."

Stefan came down the stairs. "Hey," he greeted Tari. He was still in his pyjamas – she learnt quickly that no one was formal in this house. "Where've you been?"

"Just seeing some friends," Tari answered easily. She indicated her head with the kitchen. "Aren't you going to get in there? Stop the fight?"

He cringed. "Yeah, but then I have to decide who I side with. And while I love Elena more than anything else in the world, if I say that I like her cooking she'll make it more, and then I have to eat it."

Tari smiled, shaking her head as she walked into the kitchen. Elena and Damon were both glowering at each other. Each of them has one hand on the mixing bowl, brandishing it as if it's a weapon. Tari saw her hopes of pancakes vanishing with a casual flick of the bowl.

"Hey," Tari said. She moved on the stool, Stefan sliding beside her.

"Hi." Damon barely acknowledged her.

"Hi," Elena said, her eyes on Damon.

Stefan exhaled. "Okay: Elena, how about you let Damon cook?"

Elena whipped her head round, eyes narrowed accusingly. "Why?" she snapped.

Stefan visibly winced away. "Because it's a nice thing to do?" he answered weakly.

"Look, my cooking is-"

"-likely to make people vomit?" Damon finished.

"Technically you already made the mixture," Elena pointed out. "Couldn't you just let me make the rest?"

"I don't trust you not to burn them." Damon shot Stefan a look. "Can't you control your woman?"

"Are you suggesting I need to be controlled?" Elena flared up.

It was going to be an all-out brawl. Stefan, who had spent many years with both of them, knew that action had to be taken. "Elena honey, do you know where my original copy of _Wuthering Heights _is?"

Tari had to give it to Stefan, it worked: Elena jerked her head to him, distracted. "What?" she asked.

"My copy of _Wuthering Heights_," Stefan continued. "You borrowed it last, right? 'Cause I checked your nightstand and it wasn't there. And Cara Lockwood has been pestering me to let her take a look at it. I think she wants it for the historical society. I know you're going to the meeting today and I thought you could give it to her."

Elena frowned. Stefan was brilliant: his explanation had thoroughly distracted her from her fight with Damon, who (in everyone's best interests) was keeping quiet. The difference between tasty pancakes and charred cardboard depended on Elena forgetting she was in a fight.

"I'm sure it was on my bedside table," she murmured.

"I'm not sure. I could look again, I guess..."

"No," Elena said. Tari suddenly wished that she had gone out to eat at the Grill with the others, but she had happily gone without, dreaming of thick pancakes covered in maple syrup. "I'll look. You couldn't find a needle in a haystack."

Once gone, everyone in the kitchen breathed a sigh of relief. "I thank you," Tari said, "and so does my stomach."

Stefan smirked. "Don't mention it. Now I need to go and somehow make the book disappear from her table." He went upstairs, debating about what he was going to say to Elena.

Damon looked at Tari. "Shouldn't you tell her that she can't cook?"

"Why me?"

"Because I've tried and she's obviously not listening, and Stefan certainly doesn't have the balls to say anything."

"How long have they been together?"

"Too long," muttered Damon, pouring some pancake batter in a pan. "Before you were born."

"Almost everything in the world happened before I was born. Of course you've been around while dinosaurs still graced the planet, but..."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "You're making fun of the man who handles your food because...?"

Instantly Tari put a finger to her lips. "Shutting up now."

Damon smiled, looking down at the pan as he flipped the batter over. "So how was it this morning?"

"Good," Tari replied. For some reason she didn't like talking about her friends with Damon. Besides, obviously there were too many secrets; she couldn't tell Damon about Allen. It wasn't her secret to tell anyway. Damon wouldn't care – Allen didn't pose a threat to her. He was her friend.

_He called you pretty_. Tari had almost forgotten about that.

She studied her father as he flipped them, successfully tossing and catching them in the pan. When Allen had said that about him had made her want to punch him, an utterly weird feeling for her. It was there and gone in an instant, but it left her trembling on the inside. She hated how Allen had just made an assumption about him – as far as Tari knew they hadn't even met. Damon might have been an ass before, but he had changed. He had held her when she was crying over her mouth, looked after her when she was sick. Yes, he annoyed the hell out of her sometimes, maybe even most of the time, but he was _hers_. And no one had the right to insult him. _No one_, not even her best friends – especially her best friends.

"Tari?" She jolted, noticing for the first time that he was staring at her, realised that she had been staring at _him_. "What, do I have something on my face?"

She gathered herself quickly. "No – just your same old ugly mug."

"I'll have you know that people have based drawings on my face. And," he said, bending down so his face was close to hers. "You should be thanking me on bended knee for that great genetic make up I've given you."

"The one that made me into a hybrid? Yeah, thanks so much for that."

"You're welcome." She placed six pancakes on her plate, and then snatched one away from her plate and bit into it. "God I make good pancakes."

_Mom made better ones. _It was on the tip of her tongue, and she bit down hard to stop it from coming out. But it was true: her mom was a chef, after all, and though she rarely cooked in her own kitchen, when she made pancakes they were absolutely delicious. Tari savoured each and every bite, almost not wanting to swallow. Her mother always made them on her birthday-

_No_. She wouldn't think about her mother, not today. She wouldn't be stuck in the past; she was going to focus on the present. She was here, in the boarding house, with her father, and that was where she was going to remain.

"What films do you have here?" Tari asked.

"Check the living room," Damon advised. He smirked. "There's always _Gone With The Wind._"

"I don't suppose you have _Pride and Prejudice_?"

"If this is a way of getting out of reading your next book, you'd better think again. The DVD doesn't have half the information that the book has."

"Does that mean I actually have to read the book? Can't you give me some pointers?"

"I'm not helping you cheat."

"What?" Tari laughed, pausing before eating another bit of pancake. "Since when?"

"I'll let you know when I change my mind."


	12. Body Count

**OMG! Even I'm surprised at how much I've written in this chapter! It was like I couldn't stop. I knew this chapter was going to be a long one even before I began writing. Originally it was going to be even longer, but some parts weren't really necessary so I cut them out. **

**I hope you like this chapter. It took me a while to write this, but I really enjoyed it, so hopefully you'll enjoy reading it too. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill, or any of their characters. I only own Tari, Allen, Liam, Rebecca and Caleb**

**xXx**

**Chapter Eleven **

**Body Count **

He had been attacked at the neck, left side. Once the vampire had satisfied his craving, he had attempted to tear the body up. Something must have spooked him though, because he hadn't completed the job – that or he'd just been lazy. Or she – Damon supposed it could have been a she.

"When was he found?" Damon asked. He was surrounded underneath the beech trees, just a little distance away from the graveyard.

"About midday," Liz answered. They had cornered off the area, but thankfully not a lot of people had come to the cemetery today. "The caretaker found him."

"Did he see anything?"

"You'd have to see a psychic for that; before the police arrived he had a heart attack and died before he got the hospital."

"He worked in a cemetery, didn't he?" Damon's voice was slightly sceptical.

Liz rolled her eyes. "A cemetery, not a morgue."

"Actually this is a good thing," Damon mused. "This man was clearly homeless. If we can make sure no one else knows, why do we need to let the public in on this animal attack? Who would miss him?"

"That is possibly the most heartless thing you've said. And I've been your friend for a long time."

"I am you-know-what," Damon said, lowering his voice slightly. "And now I'm heartless?"

It had taken a while for Liz to get used to Damon being a vampire. But Caroline had helped ease the transition. Slowly Liz had started getting used to them. She was pleased to find that Caroline was the same person that she had been before – better in fact. She was confident, more assured of herself; no longer did she have hysterical panics about being the best in other people's eyes. Liz also found that Damon could still be the same person, if a little dark at times. For some reason their friendship worked, though neither of them could really define it.

"Fine, I won't release a statement," Liz said. She didn't like talking about Damon being a vampire, not in front of other officers who could possibly hear them. Sometimes she felt a little guilty about knowing. Thankfully there hadn't been any vampire attacks in a long time – this was the first one in about fifteen years, since Tari had been born. "But if it comes out it's on your head." She turned her head to him, her light eyes deep in thought. "Do you think we have a problem?"

Damon pursed his lips. He looked at the body of the old man. It had been a while since he'd seen a body torn up like this – he only used blood bags now. That person who had torn those bodies like that – it was like another man from another life. He couldn't imagine doing it now. For God's sake, he had Tari – what would she think of him?

"I don't know," he finally answered. "Maybe he's just a vampire passing through? We should probably see if there's another attack before panicking."

"I'll keep an eye out," said Liz. The two of them had turned away, beginning to walk back to their cars. "I'll alert to deputies. Make sure they're drinking vervain. By the way, are you coming to the Thanksgiving Public Dinner?"

Damon pulled a face. The Thanksgiving Public Dinner was always the day before a Thanksgiving, though many of the people didn't have a full dinner the next day. The meal was so filling no one could really face another one the next day. People paid for tickets, and the money went to feed the homeless. It was usually very popular, though Damon always dreaded it. The Salvatore family had to attend though, since they were a founding family. They tried to keep it as short as possible.

"I know," Liz said, a smile on her face. "Hell, do you think I would be going if I didn't have to?" Her eyes lit up a little out of curiosity. "You can bring your daughter."

Damon groaned. "You heard about her?"

"Damon, the whole town's been buzzing about her."

"They _have?_"

"Carol Lockwood is personally affronted that she hasn't been introduced to her yet."

"Joy," Damon snorted.

"Do you want to explain this?"

Damon shook his head. "It's a long story."

"She's not adopted is she?"

"No, she's actually mine. She lived with her mother before she died." Damon's tone was clipped, not wanting any questions.

Liz shook her head. "Good luck," she told him, grinning. "You remember what it was like between me and Caroline. I can't count the number of fights and harsh conversations we had. It's probably a good thing that she lives in LA."

"I don't know." Damon smiled a little softly. "It's funny, but every now and then I miss her."

At that Liz smiled. "Me too."

**xXx **

Despite his cool attitude towards the attack, Damon didn't like it. Or, to be more precise, he didn't like the fact Tari was walking around unprotected. His instincts were to immediately grab Tari and take her home – the only truly safe place for her. It was nearly the end of the school day though, so he simply decided to pick her up.

He called her, but at that exact moment she was in history class. Usually she could concentrate in this lesson, but today a new development had occurred. Or rather a new student.

Everyone had seen him – he was impossible not to miss. For the girls anyway: he was wearing a black leather jacket with a white top and blue jeans. He had dark brown hair which spiked at the top and clear blue eyes that were like a river.

"This is what I've found out about him," Sawyer hissed at her locker. "He was born in January; he moved from California but he's been all over really; his favourite colour is indigo; and he's seventeen."

Even Tari had to admit, she found him cute. "He's way too old though," she informed her friend. "Besides, I thought you were into..." She raised her eyebrows, not daring to mention his name.

"I have eyes," Sawyer reminded her. "And I am a girl."

"How's it going anyway?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't want information?"

"I have to make sure you're being smart. Have you...?" Tari gestured in the air.

Sawyer smirked. "What, you can't say it?"

"Not here!" hissed Tari. "I thought you wanted to keep a low profile-" Suddenly she spotted Allen and Liam wandering down the hall went into evasive action. "He reminds me of someone, but I just can't think who?"

Sawyer quickly caught on. "Probably a film star."

Liam rolled his eyes, leaning against the lockers. "You're only crazy about him because he's new. Give it a few weeks and then no one will care."

"Jealous much?" Sawyer asked, smirking.

"I am not-"

"Leave it," Allen said quickly. He had known the Scotts long enough to know that if they started a fight it wouldn't end for at least another fifteen minutes – and with a class in between that, it would only manifest. "Let's just get to history."

Nonetheless the class had been buzzing about him. It didn't help that it was the last day before Thanksgiving break, and the last lesson. Alaric was trying to keep the children interested about Reconstruction, but you could have heard a pin drop.

Or a cell phone.

It echoed through the silent classroom, stirring the students awake. Tari instantly froze, silently thanking God that she hadn't used the _The Matrix _music for her father's ringtone. That would have been much worse. Thank God.

"Whose phone is that?" Alaric called out.

Tari winced. "Sorry sir," she muttered, lifting it out of her pocket. Damon's name flashed on the screen. Tari instantly flipped it open and closed it again before switching it off.

"You know the rules," Alaric said, holding his hand out. Reluctantly Tari gave him the phone, cursing Damon for his stupid timing. He couldn't have rung when school ended? Would she have to wait get her phone back after the holiday?

Sawyer sent her a sympathetic look, and Tari smiled gratefully back at her. She _really _couldn't concentrate now. At least Mr Saltzman was nice about it – Mr Von Trapp (ironically the French teacher) would have lectured her for half the class about it. With any luck he would take pity on her and give her it back at the end of the day.

"Now for your next essay you have to answer the question 'Was the process of Reconstruction successful?'. Now I'm giving you an extra week to write this essay, and because you also have Thanksgiving break to work on it I expect no late submissions. It's in-"

The phone rang again. Tari winced again and the class let out titters. "Didn't you turn it off Tari?"

"It comes on if someone rings," Tari said helplessly.

Alaric picked up the phone, glancing at it. He inwardly groaned when he saw Damon's name on the screen. "He's not going to stop calling is he?"

Mutely Tari shook her head.

Alaric answered the phone. "Damon this isn't really a good time."

Over the phone Damon frowned. "Sorry Alaric, I didn't mean to call you. But I do need to talk to you – I'll call you back in a minute."

"Wait Da-"

Before he could continue Damon had hung up. Tari pulled an apologetic face at Alaric. "Sorry Mr Saltzman," she apologised.

"It's okay – it isn't your fault that-"

The phone rang again, and the class laughed – this time louder. "I'll be back in a moment," Alaric announced, leaving the classroom. Even before the door closed he could hear the class talking.

"Damon," he said, "you really need to stop doing this."

"Why do you have my daughter's phone?" Damon said, his tone slightly demanding.

"Because it rang in the middle of the class," Alaric replied. "When a student's phone rings I have to take it off them."

"But this is important!" Alaric could almost see Damon pouting like a child. "I need to tell her that I'm picking her up today."

"I thought you let her walk home? Y'know, allowed her to have a bit of freedom?"

"That was before there was an 'animal attack' today."

He had to work at it, but Alaric managed to keep the gasp out of his voice. "A vampire attacked?" He hadn't realised how much he'd gotten used to not having to worry about vampires or werewolves. It had been what, fifteen or sixteen years since Klaus? He almost felt on vacation.

And yet, he'd always kept his stakes and vervain grenades, hadn't thought about getting rid of them for a second, just in case.

"Looks like it," answered Damon grimly. "Keep an eye out. I'm hoping that's it's just a one off."

"In Mystic Falls?" Alaric snorted. "Good luck with that."

"Now do you understand why I'm being a little possessive?"

"Alright, I admit it – I would be a little worried too."

"Oh, and give her back her phone," Damon said, this time demanding. "I need to be able to contact her wherever she is, especially with this vampire that could be lurking around."

"Fine." Alaric got up to go back into the classroom before pausing. "Oh, and are you going to the Thanksgiving Public Dinner tomorrow?"

"Don't remind me," Damon grumbled. "Apparently everyone has been dying to meet Tari."

Alaric frowned. "Who?"

"Carol Lockwood for one," Damon said, growling. "God I can just imagine it. She's going to kill me."

"Well I'd rather die than go to that thing."

"We're both going whether we like it or not."

"Well, I'd better get back in there," said Alaric. "See you tomorrow."

"Before you go, could you maybe let Tari out early?"

"Don't push your luck Salvatore. I've wasted about five or ten minutes talking to you – if anything I should be holding them back."

"Aww c'mon Alaric. Be the fun teacher and let them out early."

"Bye Damon."

"See ya."

Alaric switched off the phone and re-entered the classroom. They immediately quietened, staring at him. Alaric leant back against the desk, thinking. _Oh what the hell, _he thought. "Since you lot were paying such _constant _attention to my lecture, I guess I can let go." The students let out cheers and laughs. "Remember what I said about your essays!" he called out. "And have a great holiday!"

He paused for a moment as the students gathered their things. "Tari, can I see you for a moment?"

She waited. Liam gave her a quick wink before he left, Allen and Sawyer sending her sympathetic smiles. Tari leant back against her desk, watching until the door was closed.

As soon as it was shut, Tari said quickly, "I'm sorry Mr Saltzman."

He held up his hand. "It's okay Tari. You couldn't help someone calling you." He handed Tari the cell phone. The girl smiled gratefully.

"Thanks Mr Saltzman."

"Don't mention it." He watched her as she packed her bag away. "So how you doing?"

"Okay," she answered. She glanced at Alaric and saw his sympathetic eyes. She whirled round, hands on her hips. "Does everyone know my business?"

"This is a small town; of course everyone does."

Tari sighed, leaning back against the desk. "It's just such a change. In New York no one cared about your business – everyone was going too fast to care."

"Well in Mystic Falls, that's all everyone cares about."

"I'm starting to learn that."

"Want some advice?"

Tari tilted her head. "You can give it to me; I may not take it."

Alaric smiled, biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. _She sounds so much like Damon. Jesus, they'll be two of them._ He stood up straighter, walk behind his desk. "Do what you want. Let people think what they want to think. If you always base your happiness on their opinions then you'll never be happy."

Tari grinned, hoisting her bag on her shoulder. "I'm starting learn that too. Thanks Mr Saltzman."

**xXx **

"Wait a minute!" Sawyer gripped Tari's arm, cutting off circulation. "_That's _your dad? _Wow_. He's-"

"Sawyer," Tari said, turning her to face her. "On no level is it okay for you to say that."

Sawyer focussed on him: sitting at the front of the school, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "Just so you know, he's hot." Tari rolled her eyes; there was no point telling Sawyer to do anything.

"Jeez S," said Liam. "You have a thing for older guys?"

It was so close to the truth that Sawyer blushed slightly, and Tari quickly began to speak to cover it. "So I'll see you guys tomorrow then?"

"Like I'd miss it," Sawyer said sarcastically. "It's the height of the social season."

"Which is Sawyer speak for of course," answered Allen, grinning. "See you tomorrow."

Tari walked away, waving as she headed towards Damon. The vampire smirked as she opened the car door. "How was your day?"

She sent him a look. "You're so embarrassing, you know that?"

Damon pulled away from the front of the school. "I aim to please."

"And you couldn't have waited until after class was over?"

"Nope," Damon answered, eyes on the road.

Tari watched him. "Something's going on, isn't it?" she asked softly. She'd begun to notice when something was wrong, just based on Damon's reactions. Yes, he was usually protective – but when he thought Tari could be in immediate danger he became practically possessive.

He sighed. "A body was found today. It was mauled, and it looked like it had been an animal attack."

Tari's blue eyes rounded. "Is it-? Are you saying it's a _vampire?_"

"We think so."

"We?"

"Me, Liz, her deputies. You can tell – there are certain signs that show it's a vampire attack, such as the size of the bite." He saw Tari wince out the corner of his eye, reminding himself that this was all fairly new to her. Somehow it felt as if she'd been with him for a lot longer than that, but at the same time it all felt new to him. It didn't get easier, parenting. He'd assumed once Tari settled in she would be easier to cope with. But every day there was some challenge he had to rise to.

The problem was Tari was stubborn. He couldn't really tell who she got it from, because Rebecca had been as stubborn as hell too. It was probably a good thing that they had never actually lived together for longer than a week – he could just picture the fights they would have had.

"Hey!" Tari's voice woke him up from his thoughts in time to see he was about to run a red light. He pressed on the brakes sharply, causing them both to leap forward in their seats.

Tari gripped the side of the car door. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"_Are you trying to kill me?" _

"_I'm a perfectly good driver," I answer. "I'm very experienced. Now, I want my ice cream." _

_Rebecca rolls her eyes, but nonetheless moves the ice cream in my reach. I stick my tongue out and lick the chocolate sauce. "Whose stupid idea was it to drive while eating ice cream?" _

"_Yours." _

"_Did I say stupid? I meant brilliant." _

"_So full of yourself." _

"_Like you're not?" _

_To get me back for that, she shoves the ice cream in my nose. I snort, laughing as I shove it out the way. "You asked for it!" I sharply turn the car further near the edge of the road, her side. She squeals and laughs, clutching the seat. _

_It's been a week since we've been "hanging out". It's been a good week, maybe even a great one. Somehow Rebecca makes me forget about Elena and Stefan, makes me forget about not being human and my past of being a bloodthirsty killer. When we're together it's just us, and the feeling is so amazing that sometimes I panic that this is a dream, and I'll wake up and none of it has happened yet, I have the rest of it to go through. _

_But it's not a dream, thank God. What I have with Rebecca – whatever it is – is real. At least I know that for certain. It's not as if I've compelled her to be here; she's with me of her own free will. Someone actually _wants _to be with me. If I'm honest, I haven't known what that feels like in a long time – to be chosen by someone. _

_The days of this week have been so long. Like today: we met up for an early lunch and had a walk around, watched a film, and then decided to get dinner and walked around a little more, then decided to get dessert. Amazing: I spent almost all day with her and didn't get sick of her. _

"_So..." My tone is wheedling, and almost instantly she narrows her eyes at me. "You're coming tomorrow, right?"_

"_To the engagement party of the girl that you love? No thanks." _

"_I don't love her," I say. I say it with such certainty that I almost believe it. Maybe it is true. Maybe I'm no longer in love with Elena any more. This week I've barely thought about Elena, let alone seen her. Strange though – I haven't wanted to. Why would I when I have so much pain when I look at her? _

_Rebecca glances at me questioningly. "Really?" She says it as if she doesn't believe it. _

"_Yeah." _

"_Forgive me if I don't believe it." _

"_Well why don't you come and find out?" I challenge. "Or are you just too scared?"_

"_I'm not a fan of commitment."_

"_This isn't commitment – this is party. And I would really like it if you could be there."_

"_But I don't know them." _

"_You're with me. It doesn't matter." _

"_I'm with you and that suddenly makes me invincible?" _

"_Completely." I wink at her. She doesn't know how much that's true; I'm already beginning to feel slightly protective of her. She almost reminds me a little of myself: the way she doesn't trust people. She doesn't ask anything of me, doesn't expect it of me. I understand that feeling – not asking because you don't think another person will help you. I'm not going to be one of those people for her. _

"_Well, how can I deny the chance to be invincible?" she says, grinning. I grin back, dancing triumphantly on the inside. Yes! I would have spent an entire day without her, but now she'll be with me – and so will that feeling that I have when I'm around her. Without thinking I take my eyes off the road and kiss her. _

_I haven't kissed anyone since Andi, and everyone knows that relationship didn't have any feeling in it. Look for a kiss that had feelings, and that had to be Katherine (bitch). It feels...strange. But good strange. Like I'm flying. _

_My eyes have closed, and when I open I see for a moment that her eyes are too. But then they fly open, and I'm a little surprised to see that she looks...terrified. I know the look of fear; I must have seen it in a million eyes before. _

"_Damon!" she suddenly screams. "The car!" _

_And that's when I remember that I'm driving. Oops. _

**xXx **

Tari massaged her head, glowering at the chessboard. Biting her lip, she raised her blue eyes to Damon. He wasn't even concentrating on the game; his eyes were following the words of a book. _How the hell is he beating me four nil? _

Tari moved her castle forward three places. "You're move," she reminded Damon.

Her father glanced over, saw the move she made, and then moved the bishop. "Checkmate."

"What? How – oh." By moving her castle she had enabled him to checkmate her, and the only move she could make would be to move the king towards the bishop. Scowling, she muttered, "Chess is a stupid game."

Damon chuckled, slapping the book shut. "Chess is not stupid. It was used for people to plan strategies for war."

"All the strategies have been used," argued Tari.

"Maybe. But it's also used to determine what the best move is at the right time."

"You sound as if you've done this," she commented wryly.

Damon smirked. "More times than you can count," he said, moving back in his seat.

Shivers sprang up Tari's back, like jumping deer. She didn't believe that Damon had killed her mother anymore. In honesty she didn't think she ever really had. Yet there was _something _going on, she knew that. Sometimes she thought that she was crazy; other times she was certain there was some secret right under her nose.

If she was perfectly honest, she didn't know what she thought anymore.

Before she could question him, Stefan appeared. "Hey, give you a game," the youngest Salvatore offered.

"You're on," Damon said. "God knows I need some good competition."

"Cheers," said Tari, standing up.

"Just honest," Damon called as Tari walked away.

Elena entered the room, carrying a tray of brownish muffins. The colour didn't look quite right, not in Tari's mind. "Hey," she said. "I've just made these – want to try one?"

"Sorry," Tari said quickly, picking up speed. "I'm going to bed, and you know what they say – don't eat before you sleep." Face away from Elena, she grimaced at how cheesy that sounded. But hell, she didn't care, as long as she didn't have to eat anything that Elena made. The one and only time she had tried something that Elena had baked she had nearly thrown up after one bite.

Frowning, Elena turned to where the guys had been to find their chairs empty. With the whisky glass half empty and two chess pieces moved, it looked like a horror film; like they'd moved it a hurry.

"Oh c'mon guys! It can't be that bad!"

Listening from the top of the stairs, Damon and Stefan shared a knowing look. _Oh yes it is. _

**xXx **

_I see him, someone I know but can't place. He lunges at me, and my heart feels as if it's about to give in. But I surprise myself with my own bravery and launch my hand into his chest. The movement is so intense and strong I fall backwards, and I'm falling through the air. _

_Falling, falling, falling... _

_Falling. _

Before she hit the ground Tari had woken up. Instantly she had sat up in bed, her breathing rapid, like she had seen in films when characters had nightmares. She swore she could still feel the cold air against her skin, the fear running through her blood. Her arms had goosebumps on them.

She ran her hands through her long brown hair (which seriously needed cutting). _I thought my nightmares had gone! _Why had they come back? _Why? _

Yet this dream had been different. She didn't have this strange urge inside her, making her want to leave the house. No, this one was like another dream – except... It felt as if it _meant _something. After all, it hadn't been about her mother or vampires. There had been someone else in the dream, but now all Tari could see was a blurred expression. It could have been anyone or no one.

But it wasn't that: it was the falling. She had felt so helpless, so out of control. It hadn't felt good. Her stomach was still queasy.

It was utterly stupid, but Tari instantly wanted to go to Damon. She squished that thought in her mind. _You're not a baby. _

The floor creaked.

Damon had been in such a deep sleep that he didn't hear Tari come in. He felt his bed move and stirred, realising that Tari was in his bed, snuggling into his stomach. Surprise flittered across his face, but he was really too tired to act on it. Instead he wrapped an arm round her back, taking a deep breath. "What's up?"

"Nightmare," muttered Tari, her face in his stomach.

He couldn't help but recoil slightly at that notion. _That's impossible_, he thought. _Bonnie made that dream catcher. That bitch_, he thought suddenly, tightening his grip round Tari. _She didn't fix it, she just fooled me, just like she did with that watch. Damn her! _

He was going to get revenge. No one hurt his daughter and got away with it. He rolled on his side, pulling her closer to him. She buried her head into his shoulder, sighing, already falling asleep again. _It was just a dream, _she told herself, calm this time. _Just a dream. _

**xXx **

That being said, the first thing that she thought of when she woke up was the dream. Her stomach felt as if there was a hole inside it. She stretched out, realising for the first time that Damon had disappeared. She could hear the shower, and remembered that it was that stupid thanksgiving dinner today. She groaned, pulling the covers over her head. This town was insane with all the town events they had: so far she'd had to attend an Apple Bobbing festival, the Recycle 'n' Save event, the End of Summer Carnival and The Charity House Building session. So far Tari had managed to keep to herself, enduring them until she could escape. But at least Sawyer, Liam and Allen would be at this one, so she could escape with them.

Damon appeared in the bedroom. "Time to get up," he informed her.

"Would you believe me if I said I was sick?" asked Tari, not moving from her comfortable position.

"No," answered Damon, going to the bed. He pulled the covers off her feet, and with the stealth of a vampire, he grabbed her foot with one hand and began to tickle her. Tari squealed, trying in vain to pull her foot away and kicking Damon. Damon grabbed her other leg, securing it under his arm before going back to her other foot again.

"_Stop it!_" Tari cried, struggling to breathe while laughing. "_Stop! Let go!_"

"Make me," Damon said playfully. In response Tari sat up and wrapped her arms round his neck, trying to choke him. The vampire swiftly pushed himself down on the bed, trapping Tari under his body. Before they knew it they were wrestling like cats and dogs, Damon's strength clearly overpowering Tari's.

"Are you two done?" Stefan came through the door, causing Damon and Tari to pause, breathless and smiling. "Only I need that white shirt you stole."

"Borrowed."

"I don't recall lending you it."

"While you two have your girl fight, I'm going back to bed." Tari made a move to crawl under the covers again, but Damon kept tight hold of her.

"No way," he said. "You need to shower and get ready."

"My hair looks fine, right Stefan?"

Stefan pulled a face. "Mmm," he said.

Tari snapped her chin up to him. "'Mmm'?" she questioned.

"It could do with a cut."

"I can't help that it's too long!"

"And it needs tidying a bit."

"Have you looked in the mirror?" Tari shot back. "It's not as if your hair is runway material."

"Ladies please," Damon said, as Stefan patted his hair down. "This dinner is the third most important event of the year, and like it or not, we are a founding family and this event needs to go perfectly. Vampires haven't been around for a long time but people still remember them. The Council has been notified of the vampire attack, so the Fells, Forbes, Lockwoods etc will be on edge. Let's just be on our best behaviour, okay?"

"Good luck with that," Tari muttered, knowing both Salvatore brothers heard her.

"She's right," Stefan added once she was a safe distance away.

"Not this time," Damon answered, glowering at his brother. "We have a bad history of getting into problems in these events when the threat of vampires is around." He stood up. "Things are going to go smoothly."

Stefan leant forward, gripping his brother's shoulders. "Everything is going to be fine," he said. "Don't stress. You know the more you plan the more the plan goes wrong."

"Oh yeah?" Damon turned his head, shooting his brother a smirk. "How's this for planning? The food that we're taking for the dinner is the muffins that Elena made last night."

Stefan slowly smiled. "Okay, that is good."

"I'm just killing two birds with one stone: we bring food to the dinner and don't eat it ourselves, therefore causing us to have painful stomach cramps and/or throwing up." He smiled at himself in the mirror. "It's a win win."

**xXx **

"_This _is where the Lockwoods live?" Tari gazed at it in awe. It looked as if it was a state building, one that should have been put on display. It looked so pristine that Tari instantly felt scruffy. _Damn it. This is why I should never have left New York – there are so many people no one cares if you look awful; you're not alone._

"I know," Elena said sympathetically. "Imagine having to walk up these steps asking if your friend could come out to play."

"Sounds daunting." She fell into step with Elena. "So are they high maintenance, the Lockwoods?"

"It's just Cara Lockwood – her son Tyler is in LA with our other friend Caroline." She glanced sideways at Tari as they climbed the steps. "Has Damon told you about them?"

"No," Tari said, looking at Elena in surprise. "Why?"

She shook her head. "Not here," she murmured, her voice low. "I'll explain it later."

_Here we go_, thought Tari. _Another big secret that I don't know about. They're probably fairies that sprout wings in the moonlight. _

"You ready for this?" Stefan asked. He paused them briefly; behind him Tari could see Damon embracing an older woman. Despite her hair dye job and thin body, her face was wrinkled and she looked at least fifty – a graceful fifty Tari would allow, but still fifty.

"No," she muttered. She was dressed in a new blue dress with black trimming at the bottom. She loved it, but she felt as if she was a princess – the spoilt kind. She'd had to comb her hair thoroughly, and look smart, look like the Perfect Daughter. She doubted she would be able to pull it off very well – for God's sake, she had driven in a car back to New York. Didn't Damon realise that she could pretend, but she couldn't change her DNA. After all, she was just like him.

She saw him peer at her out the corner of his eye, and knew he wanted her. Bracing herself inwardly, she moved forward, fixing a smile on her face.

"This is my daughter," he said once Tari had gotten closer. He placed his hand behind her back, securing her as if she would attempt to run. "Tari, this is Miss Carol Lockwood."

Before Tari could get in a hello, Carol had bent down (of course she had to, in those heels) and kissed her on both cheeks. Tari was a little surprised – in New York only people from high society kissed you on the cheeks, and Tari and her mother had never _ever _been in high society.

"Tari, it's so nice to meet you," she said, her eyes glittering. Tari pictured her as a fly, greedily gazing at her. What did she want from her? Gossip about her mother, who the famous bachelor Damon Salvatore had had a child with? She remembered what Alaric had said to her. He was right; gossip was like oxygen to these people.

She felt Damon pinch her slightly, and she realised that Carol had asked her a question. "Yes," she said, taking a shot. "Of course."

"Of course," Carol said, smiling. "Who wouldn't enjoy living with a man like Damon?" She grinned at Damon – no, beamed at him. Tari felt a fist twist in her stomach, suddenly hating this woman. She realised she was being _possessive _of Damon. The thought of him being with her... _No_, Damon would never be with someone like her – and yet the way they smiled at each other...

Tari suddenly realised why she was possessive: it was because he was casually flirting with another woman who wasn't her mother.

It was insane. After all, they had split up by the time she was born, and though they were friendly, they never had anything more than a quick kiss while saying goodbye. She had never been one of those children who had spent their birthday wishes praying their parents would get back together. For some reason it didn't seem possible: Tari and her mother lived their lives in New York, Damon had his life in Mystic Falls. She had never pictured them living any other way.

And yet... Sometimes Damon had smiled at her mother, and she would smile back, and for that brief moment Tari knew that she would never be able to get their attention. It was a smile that lit them both up from inside out, as if they shared some big secret. Was it love? The look between them was so rare and short that Tari never had time to analyse it. But it had always felt like _something_.

"Oh I don't know," Tari said. Her father glanced down at her and saw a cool smile placed on her face. He didn't like that smile – it reminded him of the smile Rebecca used to do before she unleashed words that had the ability to make grown men cry. "I could tell you some things about Damon."

"Really?" Carol asked, leaning closer. Those eyes of hers were sparkling with intrigued. "This I have to hear." Though she sounded like she was joking, there was a certain sense of curiosity, a desperate need to know what she was talking about. Tari supposed that if all you had were events like these than you would take more interest in the gossip.

Honestly, Tari didn't know what she was going to say. Something definitely would have entered her mind, something that could have possibly – okay, very likely – caused chaos if Elena hadn't swooped in at that moment. "Hi Mrs Lockwood!" she chirped brightly, her face beaming, and Tari could suddenly see her as a young innocent teenager – because that was what she was showing Carol.

Damon gripped her by the arm and hauled her away. "What was that?" he hissed, swinging her round to face her.

"I didn't say anything!" Tari protested.

"I saw that smile on your face," Damon argued. "And I've seen it before. I know what comes after that smile."

Tari lifted her chin squarely, facing him. "I didn't know what I was going to say."

"I'm sure you would figure out something," Damon said, his eyes rolling.

Tari rolled her in response. "Can I go now?" She made a move to leave, but Damon grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Hold on," he said. Tari saw that stern look in her father's eye, and knew what was coming. "Ground rules: don't leave the Lockwood property, and if you do I want to know exactly where you're going and how long you'll be; absolutely _no _drinking; and be careful what you eat, because I can bet some other family has unloaded some awful food for other people to eat."

"Got it," Tari replied. "Anything else?"

Damon lowered his voice. "Be careful what you say." His eyes flickered round him, as if vampire hunters were waiting in the wings. "You don't know whose listening."

Fear gripped Tari by the throat, as tight as a hand. It was only there for a moment, but Tari still didn't like the feeling that it left her with.

"It'll be fine," Damon said quickly, seeing the look in his eyes. This was why he didn't tell her about the threat; he didn't want her to feel scared whenever she stepped outside the front door. _Yet what am I doing now if not scaring her? _"I'm just being stupid, that's all."

"What else is new?" Tari asked, the corner of her mouth lifting up in a grin.

Damon laughed, feeling the tension drift away. "Get out of here," he said, giving her a shove. She grinned back at him before disappearing in the crowd.

He watched her go, surprised to feel the worry returning. He wished she was a baby again; he was able to protect her so easily back then. He could secure her safely in her crib, and even then if he didn't feel comfortable he could always watch over her through the night. He knew this wasn't just him; every father must feel this way, watching their daughter turn into a teenager and take their first steps out into the world themselves. It wasn't just vampires that scared him, or werewolves or witches; she could go outside and get knocked down by a car, stabbed by a mugger, burnt by a blaze of fire. People who don't have children, they can't understand it. When they're born, you _expect _to feel the love, warm and rushing like a ray of sunlight; but you're surprised by that feeling of protectiveness. In that moment you _know _that you would take a bullet for your child. No question.

**xXx **

Predictably Tari found Sawyer near the bar. The blonde was in an olive green dress, one that matched her eyes perfectly. "Boy am I glad to see you," Tari said.

The relief was obvious on her face. Sawyer blinked in surprise. "What's up?" she asked, her voice gentle.

"Oh nothing. This." Tari gestured round the room, to the huge crowd of people. She wished she, Sawyer, Liam and Allen could go somewhere just to themselves like they did in school when they ate lunch. These people, they were all so fake and preppy. She would rather be in their spot by the lagoon, or sitting at her desk in history, having Sawyer on one side and Liam and Allen on the other. They could be themselves there.

"Can I have a drink?"

"Sure." Sawyer passed Tari her drink and the girl tipped it down her throat. The fiery taste of alcohol burnt her throat, and Tari choked on it in surprise. "What is this?" she asked in a strangled voice.

"Vodka and coke," she answered. As usual her face betrayed no shame, but she did lower her voice. It wasn't smart to yell that out for the entire party to hear. After all, the Sheriff was here. "Look, I can get it so why not?"

"Because you're fifteen years old when the legal drinking age is twenty one."

"If the barman is in fact a man, it doesn't matter. Besides, alcoholic drinks cost more than the sodas you lot have."

"Are Liam and Allen drinking too?"

Sawyer rolled her emerald eyes. "Not those two. Allen won't dare, especially when his mother's around. And Liam doesn't drink."

"He doesn't?" This surprised her. She knew she shouldn't listen to stereotypes, but Liam was on the football team and a fun-loving, care-free teenager. Most of them usually drank buckets, even if they weren't juniors or seniors. It wasn't as common to find fifteen year olds drinking than eighteen year olds, but it still happened. At a social affair such as this, Tari wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the teenagers didn't have some alcohol hidden in their soda.

Sawyer shook her head. "Never."

"Why?"

"You'll have to ask him that."

Tari stared at her in surprise. "Is it a big secret?"

"No," Sawyer answered with a sigh. She turned her head to Tari, her expression serious. "It's just personal to him. If you ask him he'd probably tell you."

"My God," Tari murmured, leaning against the wall. "There's so much drama round here."

"The cities have concerts and celebrity parties; small towns have fairs and gossip." She shrugged. "We all have things to entertain us."

"You sound like a prophet."

"I would make a good one, right?" She grinned at her friend, but her eyes wandered past Tari. "Hey, that cute guy's here – don't look!"

Tari caught a glimpse of him anyway. It was the new kid, the one that was seventeen and wore a leather jacket – who was in fact still wearing it. "Poor guy," Tari murmured, turning back to Sawyer. "After this he'll be running back to California."

"No kidding," Sawyer said with a laugh. "Want to go outside? I think Al and Lee are there."

"Okay, let me just get a drink and I'll join you." Tari fought her way to the bar. By the amount of people surrounding it she knew that this party must be bad, even for Mystic Falls' standards. In fact she was certain that a lot of people would go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms if these events didn't happen.

Even when she got to the front of the bar, she couldn't get his attention. He was busy serving other people, and she figured she was too small to be noticed. She was starting to think that she wouldn't bother with the drink and just have some of Sawyer's (what were the chances that her father would smell it on her breath? He had super scent, didn't he?). She looked up hopefully when he came by, but instead he turned to the boy next to him.

"What can I get you?"

"A scotch on the rocks," he answered and, to Tari's surprise, he turned her, "and for you?"

She hadn't expected that, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse on the mouth. "A coke please – and thank you," she added to the guy next to her. The guy, as it turned out, that was new and came from California and was wearing that gorgeous leather jacket.

"Not a problem. You've been standing here for the past twenty minutes – I had to give you a break."

Tari took the drink and sipped it, enjoying the cool feeling against her throat. "I definitely needed that." She took a proper look at him: his blue eyes were as deep and dark as the ocean, and his hair had golden flecks in it. _Wow, he's even cuter up close. _She forced herself not to blush when she realised that she had thought that when he was staring right at her. "So...you're new?"

He gave a little chuckle at her attempt of conversation. "Yeah, I am. From California."

"Don't worry, I know what you're going through," she confided. "I came over from New York a little while ago. Well, this summer actually." Summer seemed like a long time ago. Had she really been here for three months? It felt like she'd stayed in Mystic Falls for at least six. Then again, she'd had a lot to take in: vampires, witches, the whole supernatural world etc.

"New York – God, love it there."

"Really?" Tari brightened considerably. She hadn't met many people that had been to New York. Damon openly hated the place, but it was Tari's home. Or had been.

"Yeah. I went there a year or two ago. I loved it," he said enthusiastically. "There's no other place like it. The people are – well," he stammered, remembering that she was from there.

"Insane." She laughed. "It's okay, you can say it. We're proud of our craziness, actually."

"You miss it?"

"Yeah." She didn't allow her mind to go there. Sometimes thinking about the things you love – like the smell of autumn in Central Park, or the sight of university students in cafes, leaning over their laptops and ordering a extra large coffee, how if both her mom and her were up at three in the morning – a rarity, but it happened – they would take advantage of it and order Chinese food. But she couldn't think about it. Homesickness hit as randomly as the summer flu, and now would be a really _crap _time to get it. "Do you miss California?"

He shrugged. "Not really. It was nice, but I've moved around an awful lot. At the end of the day, all the places are the same."

Tari wouldn't know if she agreed with that. Compare New York and Mystic Falls? "You thinking you're going to make Mystic Falls home?"

He pulled a face. "We'll see. I'll probably just move on."

"Why do you wander round so much?" She wondered if it was too personal a question, but what the hell?

"Army brat. Though I barely see my parents, they move up and down all the time. So basically I have our apartment all to myself."

"Lucky you," Tari said, envious. With Damon, Elena and Stefan, it was like she had three parents. At least with her Mom if she got something past her, she had succeeded. If she, by chance, got anything past Damon, she had to get it by Elena and Stefan too. Always three people to check to make sure she was home, to make sure she had finished all her homework, to make sure she was in bed. She loved them all, she did, but sometimes she felt a little suffocated.

She realised, abruptly, that she had been gone about half an hour. Surely Sawyer Liam and Allen would be wondering where she was? "I'm sorry," she apologised. "I've got to go. It was nice to meet you..." _Stupid – you don't even know his name. _

"Caleb," he corrected her. "And you are...?"

"Tari," she said.

"Tari," he repeated. The way he said her name, it sounded beautiful. At that moment her stomach dropped, as if she was on a rollercoaster. For a second it made her feel queasy.

She smiled uncertainly. "I'll see you later," she said, and turned away quickly.

Once Tari got outside she leant against the wall. For some reason she felt unsure, as if she had been walking down the stairs but missed a step. Caleb was...charming, in a way. Then again, he was seventeen – any boy of seventeen would seem charming to her, not to mention mature. And it sounded as if he'd been all over the place! She imagined what it would be like to see all those amazing places: Paris, Lake Garda, and she always wanted to see India...

"Hey." All of a sudden Allen appeared. "Where've you been?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. It was so _good _to see him – he was so uncomplicated, so easy to talk to. All of her friends calmed her, but Allen had the most soothing effect. She felt so peaceful when he was around, as if she was lying by the beach. "Getting a drink."

"That's where Lee and Sawyer have gone."

She smirked. "They're going to be at least another hour." She walked towards the rail of the porch, leaning against that. "What do you think of Caleb?"

"Who?"

"The new guy," she informed him.

Allen leant beside her. "I don't like him."

_This _made Tari stand straighter. "You don't?" Allen was usually agreeable with everyone. Though he wasn't firm friends with anyone beside their little group, it was clear that people liked him. "Why not?"

He looked away. "There's just something that doesn't quite add up. I don't know. Like a feeling."

Tari smirked, leaning closer to him. "You're not upset because you're worried how he'll affect your dating life," she teased, remembering why Liam had been so annoyed.

"I'm serious." Those brown eyes of his were darker than usually, and instantly Tari wiped the smile off her face. "Whenever I look at him I get a weird feeling... I don't know what it means, but it's not a good one."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Tari said. She didn't want to think anything bad about Caleb. He had been so nice to her, and his smile... Tari stopped herself before her imagination got the better of her.

"I guess," he said with a sigh. "Just be careful with him, okay?" He focussed his gaze on her. "I don't understand what's going on with him, but I don't like it."

**xXx **

"I wouldn't eat that." Damon slid into step beside Bonnie. The witch shot him a dark look and lifted the muffin to her mouth.

"Elena made it."

She quickly put it back down on her plate, and Damon couldn't hide the smirk on his face. "What do you want, Damon?"

"Oh I don't want anything from you." He picked a single grape of the fruit plate and popped it into his mouth. "Whenever you give me something it never works."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him. "If you want to say something to me Damon, spit it out."

"That dream catcher you gave me doesn't work," Damon snarled. "As you well know."

"The dream catcher stops any witches sending her nightmares to wake her up – what it was meant to do. How can it not work?"

"She had a nightmare last night," Damon hissed. He leant closer to her, whispering his words right in her ear. Bonnie stiffened at the proximity of their bodies. She didn't want to be in the same country of Damon, let alone have him right up against her. "You were supposed to stop them."

Oh how she longed to use her powers and shove him to the other side of the room! Instead she settled for pressing a hand against his chest and pushing him away. "I stopped other witches from putting nightmares in her head," she retorted. "Did you ever think that maybe it was an ordinary nightmare?"

That made him paused. He was so used to spotting plots – was he seeing schemes that weren't there? Maybe it was just a nightmare. After all, she didn't try to leave the house did she? She came to him.

_She came to me_.

"Alright," he said a little grudgingly; he didn't like admitting he was wrong, especially to the witch. "You may be right."

"Of course I am," she said smugly. "Now can you please leave me to enjoy my dinner?" She turned away only to see both Tari and Allen through the glass. She had not seen Tari before, but she instantly she knew. That was Damon's spawn.

Damon smirked, knowing what she was thinking. "Yes," he said, answering her unasked question. "It appears that your daughter and my son are friends."

It was Bonnie's worst nightmare. She loved her son more than anything else in the world, despite the fact his father was a bloody bastard. She knew that she had raised him right. To think that he had befriend Damon's daughter! It was her worst nightmare. If she was anything like her father, than Allen was not safe.

She made a move to go to Allen, but a hand on her arm pulled her back. She whirled her head round to glower at Damon. "I could take you down in a split second. You might want to take your hand off me."

"But you wouldn't. Not right here right now, and certainly not in front of your child." He pulled her closer to him. "And if you do anything to hurt my daughter, I swear, you will not live the rest of the day."

Bonnie had seen Damon be scary before – but never like this. He stated it perfectly calmly, as if he was having a normal conversation with her, but his eyes were flickering furiously, as if there was an inner fire inside of him, and the grip on her arm increased.

"You really think you could kill me?" she hissed.

"Maybe not," he said, shrugging. "But I could definitely kill your son."

Time froze; Damon felt it in the air. But he kept his eyes squarely on Bonnie, not wanting to take them off her.

"You wouldn't." If not for his vampire hearing, he wouldn't have caught her words.

"If you hurt my daughter? Of course I would." Assured that she wasn't going near Tari, he finally let go of her and put another grape in his mouth. "If you hurt my daughter, I'll hurt your son. Mutually assured destruction."

"I wasn't going to harm her!" Bonnie argued. "I just don't want my son hanging out with her."

If anything that made Damon even more furious. Okay, he was willing to put up with insults when she talked about him – after all, most of Bonnie's jabs were true. But not with Tari. What the hell had she done that was so bad? She was a good kid, and Damon hated the fact that Bonnie just assumed that she wasn't a good friend for her son.

He managed to keep calm though; after all, it would do no good for him to lose his temper, not in front of everyone. "That would hurt her feelings though, wouldn't it?"

He could tell Bonnie was struggling to compose herself. "You can't tell me how to raise my child!"

"You don't even know my daughter. They're doing nothing wrong." He couldn't help the smirk forming on his face. "C'mon Bonnie: a warlock and a vampire hybrid? Of course they were going to become friends."

**xXx **

"This party is terrible," Liam muttered.

"What did you expect?" Sawyer asked. "We come every year and it never changes." Sighing she turned her head to the house, a drink in her hand. "I wish my parents would just give money to a charity and let us stay home."

"What, and become outcasts?" Tari scoffed. "If you don't join in, you're not part of the town."

"There's a word for that, isn't there?" Liam mused. "Like blackmail."

"Like in the Amish society," Sawyer offered. "How you're shunned if you don't follow the rules? That's right, isn't it Al?"

Allen didn't answer. The other three instantly turned to him, but he didn't even notice. He was staring at the Lockwood house, a frown on his face.

"Allen," Sawyer insisted. She nudged him. "What's up with you?"

He didn't take his eyes off the house. "It's that new kid," he finally answered.

"Caleb," Tari added.

Sawyer's head snapped towards her. "Did you talk to him?"

"He bought me a drink."

"No way! That's – wow, that's a really good sign," she began enthusiastically. "He must like you. I mean, he's hot and he could have all the girls in the school-"

"He's a dick," Liam said bluntly. Sawyer shot him a look that expressed how unhelpful his comment was, but he continued. "What do you girls see in him? He's cute yeah, but do you know anything else about him?"

"He doesn't see much of his parents."

"He has his own place?"

"Down Sawyer. Alright, I'll admit he's got a sweet deal there, but still..."

"He's been all over the world," Tari said, though she wasn't sure whether that was true.

"He's cultured!"

"You don't know that," Liam argued. "For all you know he could be a racist terrorist."

"He's not!"

"And how do you know?"

"You guys aren't listening!" Allen snapped. Tari, Liam and Sawyer all jumped in surprised, looking to Allen, almost stunned. Allen never lost it. Liam and Sawyer had the infamous Scott temper which could flare up at any particular time, especially with each other, and Tari admitted she could lose it at times – but Allen was the serene one, the practical problem solver, the mediator. Tari couldn't remember the last time he'd snapped at any of them.

"Calm down," Liam said, looking at his friend a little warily.

"You don't get it," Allen pressed. He looked back to the house, his eyes searching the building. "Damn, I can't see him anymore."

"Allen, what is it?"

"Is this about you not liking him?" Tari questioned. She was already dreading the answer.

"You don't like him?" Liam ogled at Allen; Tari could see he was as bemused as she had been. "Why?"

"It's a feeling."

Sawyer rolled her eyes. "Don't be vague about it Al."

"Don't patronise me S. I mean it, there is something really wrong with him!" Allen twitched irritably; he looked as if he was going to punch at the next guy that looked at him funny. The other three all noticed then how serious this was.

"What do you mean?" Sawyer asked. "You say you have a feeling – tell us about it."

He bit his lip, not looking at any of them. "It's bad," he finally uttered.

"Bad in what way?" Liam asked, his voice quiet.

Allen took a deep breath, finally turning his head in their direction, but he was looking straight at Tari. "Dangerous."

There was a weighted pause.

Tari let out a nervous giggle. "C'mon Al. I mean, he's seventeen. How dangerous could he be?"

"I don't _know _Tari. I don't understand it and it's driving me up the wall." He pressed his fingers against his temple. "It's giving me a headache. All I know is that we should stay the hell away from him."

His tone was so stern that none of them could voice any protest. Tari remembered the feeling she had with him: she had thought he was amazing, a guy that she would be lucky to get, but at the same time he had left her uncertain. She hadn't liked that feeling.

_Stop it! Allen's just making you paranoid. _

Sawyer lightly touched his arm. "C'mon Allen, let's go inside and get you some water." The laughter that usually encompassed those green eyes had disappeared; now they were filled with worry. Tari knew this because she had seen that look in her eyes when Sawyer thought she would tell Liam about her and Mr Herman.

Once Sawyer and Allen were out of earshot, Liam turned to Tari. "What was that all about?" he hissed, his voice low.

She shook her head. "Beats me." She felt nervous suddenly, and she could tell by Liam's expression that Allen's words had affected him too. "Maybe he's not feeling well. Or he's jealous."

"Al? Jealous?" Liam snorted. "He's not the type. I always say that he was a Buddhist in a former life; he so peaceful, so in his own head he doesn't notice other people and what they think about him."

"Then why's he acting so...weird?"

"Maybe-" Liam was about to speak, but then pressed his lips together quickly.

Tari instantly pounced on him. "What? C'mon Lee, say it."

"Nothing. It's nothing Tari, really."

"But-"

"I was just going to say that maybe he's ill, but you already said it."

She blinked at him. "It's probably-"

Behind them they heard a rustling sound. It was loud enough to stop them both talking and instantly turn their heads. But the bushes behind them were still. Both teenagers listened, but all they could hear were people chatting further away.

Tari turned her head back to Liam, but at that moment heard a small sound – what sounded like a gasp. It didn't sound right though, like...like someone was struggling to breathe.

"What was that?" Liam whispered. He moved closer to Tari, ironically towards the noise.

Tari shook her head, almost too scared to speak.

The noise came again.

The two of them stood, froze by fear despite the fact they were surrounded by people in broad daylight.

"Oh for fuck sake!" snarled Liam. Before Tari could stop him, he began marching into the bush towards the noise.

"Liam no!" Tari wanted to yell after him, but she was too scared, so her voice became a whisper that she doubted Liam could hear. Not thinking, she raced after him.

"I'm sick of this!" He shoved a branch so violently he almost broke it off the tree. "This is so stupid! I mean I know there are – well, you know, weird things in this world, but we're not in a horror film! First Al acts all weird and now this! I'm not going to stand around acting scared! It's probably an injured animal-"

He stopped so hastily that Tari careened into him. He almost knocked her down, especially since she was in heels (which weren't doing well in the dirt). "Lee, for God's sake, what-"

And then she saw it.

The girl was lying on the ground, her arms splayed above her head. Her dress, a light pink, had flakes of mud over the fine material. Her blue eyes stared glassily at the sky, unblinking, unmoving.

Her neck was as red as poppies, covered in blood.


	13. Best laid plans of mice and men

**Hey!**

**So truth? I almost gave up on this story. I love it, don't get me wrong. But I was going through a phrase where I was wondering what I should be writing, whether I should be working on one thing or another. But then I got a review of this story – THREE reviews to be exact. And they made me continue. Stupid I know, but true. Don't worry, I love this story – and I have BIG plans for it. So I want to thank everyone who has reviewed – just shows that they really do mean something. **

**Another long chapter! I love writing super long ones, I always feel pleased with myself. This chapter is filled with drama, so I think you'll like it. Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own either One Tree Hill or Vampire Diaries or any of the characters; exceptions are Tari, Liam, Allen, Caleb and Rebecca **

**xXx**

**Chapter Twelve **

**Best laid plans of mice and men**

Tari and Liam could not take their eyes off the body. There was no doubt that she was dead. Though her body was almost perfect, her eyes were without the usual brightness that a person held when they were alive. She didn't look peaceful though, like a lot of people did when they were dead; her eyes still looked fearful. Tari couldn't help but wonder what she had seen that had been so horrifying that the terror didn't disappear when she'd died.

"Oh my God," Liam whispered. He had not taken his eyes off her body. "She's-"

"I know," she breathed back.

"Oh God," he repeated, and in front of her he sank down to his knees. "Oh God."

_Stop saying that_, Tari thought randomly. _There is no god. _

For long minutes neither of them could speak nor move. Despite all the horror films they had seen, nothing compared to the sight of a real dead body. Staring at it Tari couldn't help but wonder what her mother's body had looked like after the accident. For the first time she felt her chest seize with the fear that her mother had been injured by the accident, scarred so badly that she didn't even look like Rebecca Snow anymore.

"Lee," Tari said, but her throat seemed to have closed and she could only hiss it. She coughed, trying it again. "Liam."

He didn't turn round, and when Tari went closer she could see his face was a sickly pale colour. She hated to think what she looked like. "Lee," she repeated, grasping him by the shoulders. "C'mon. You need to leave."

He looked up at her, his blue eyes empty. "I do?"

"Yeah. You need to get back home. Go let Sawyer and Allen know what's happening too, and make sure they leave. Tell your parents you're sick – there's no way they won't believe it." He looked as if he'd thrown up.

He stood up shakily, looking as if he was going to faint. He had to use Tari as a prop to stand up, and he still looked unsure on his feet as he wandered away.

Once he was a safe distance away, Tari turned her head and vomited in the bushes.

Once she was done she wiped her lips, trembling, exhaustion overwhelming her suddenly, like a tsunami. Her stomach still felt weak, and she tried not to look at the body again. She didn't trust herself.

Instead she flipped her phone open and texted the one person she knew who could deal with this.

**xXx **

"Can we go yet?" Stefan knew he was like a child, but he was sick of pretences. He wanted to go home and have a long bubble bath with Elena. His stomach was filled with food that wasn't particularly done well. They had stayed at the party long enough – Stefan thought it would be okay for them to leave now.

Damon smirked. "What, and miss the chance to eat truly crap food and make small talk with other people that you truly don't care about?"

"So that's a yes."

He grinned at his brother. "You get Elena and Tari, I'll say goodbye to Cara for us."

As Damon moved away, Stefan called out – though a little lowly: "See, nothing bad happened did it? We all lived."

If they were alone Damon would have said that implying that they were alive was a bit of a stretch, but he didn't dare – not right now. Once they were home and didn't have to worry about people hearing their conversations.

Stefan looked away from Damon, eyes scanning the crowd. He knew where Elena was – he could hear her talking to an old high school friend (one that was asking about her plastic surgeon – they found it easier just to admit they had plastic surgery, and Liz helped spread the rumour. It wouldn't work forever of course, but at least for the time being). But he hadn't seen Tari in a while. He supposed she was hanging out with her friends somewhere – maybe outside? He started towards the doors, intending to go to the gardens to find her, but before he could even take a step his brother was beside him.

He looked to Damon and could instantly tell something was wrong. Damon was his brother, and he had known him for longer than most people knew their brothers. His eyes were cold, serious, his lips in a firm line.

He lifted his phone up. "Spoke too soon."

**xXx **

She didn't know what to do. She tried not to look at the dead girl. Tari didn't even know who she was, though she had seen the girl around school. But they had never spoken, or even exchanged smiles. Why would they? They were separate people living separate lives. Why would they talk to each other?

But high school was like that. You never really made much of an effort with other people, people you didn't know. If they weren't in your circle of friends, why bother with them? Now Tari knew how much of a mistake it was. Now this girl was dead. She would never be able to talk to her, get to know her. This girl would never graduate, get married, have any children. Swim with dolphins, learn Chinese, see the northern lights. She'd never do any of those things now.

_Such a waste of life. _Tari felt angry suddenly, so annoyed that she balled her hands into fists, wishing she had something to punch. _And the vampire didn't even drain all the blood out of her. _

For a moment she hated all vampires, even Damon, Stefan and Elena, simply because they must have done what this vampire had done, at least once or twice. She even hated herself, because she was part vampire. She knew that she could never hate them for longer than a moment, because they would always be her family; and she couldn't hate what she was, not forever. But looking at this girl, all Tari could feel was the agony of knowing she would never see the sunset.

_Who? _The thought stopped her suddenly, so quick that she could feel her heart against her chest. It seemed to be moving too fast, even though she was standing still.

Another vampire was here.

Tari didn't believe for a single second that it could have been Damon, Stefan or Elena. Even if you ignored how good they were, it was too sloppy. None of them would be as reckless and stupid as to leave the body lying round for someone to find.

Her eyes darted round the forest anxiously. It was pointless – a vampire could sink his teeth in her and drain her of blood before she would be able to scream. It wasn't as if she carried a stake round with her. She would be dead in seconds.

_Who's the vampire? Who would do this? What's changed since – _

It hit her then, who it could have been. Who it _was_. How had she not seen it before? But then, she knew that people ignored the obvious, sometimes even blatant actions of a guilty person, simply because they didn't want to see it. And of course she hadn't.

Did she even want to now?

There was a noise behind her, and she whirled round, almost falling on her feet. High heels definitely weren't good shoes to wear. Her chest dropped in relief when she realised it was them. Damon, Stefan and Elena. _Thank God._

Damon instantly flew to her, like a bird checking on its baby. "Are you okay?" His eyes moved over her, checking her body for signs of cuts and bruises, despite the fact that he knew she wasn't hurt. But then, she supposed that she hadn't given him much information: only that there had been a vampire attack.

"I'm fine," she answered. Her voice sounded fragile, like glass waiting to be broken. She didn't want to sound like a scared little girl; she wanted to be strong, to be fearless. Like Damon.

He rubbed her arm cautiously, staring hard at her. He then turned to Elena and Stefan. Neither of them in particular seemed shocked to see the body, but Stefan looked to be struggling. His eyes were on the body. Anyone who didn't know him would think that he was in shock, but Damon knew better: he was staring at the blood, dripping from her body. He had been drinking a little human blood years back, but there had been a slip a few years back and Stefan had steered clear from it ever since.

"Stefan," Damon said, his voice loud and clear like a bell. His little brother looked up, as if woken from a dream. "Take Tari home. Elena, can you go with him?" He trusted his brother, he did, but he knew that it didn't take much for an addict to fall off the wagon. He wanted Elena with him, to remind him what he stood to lose.

Stefan nodded, jerky movements of the head, before moving towards Tari, as if he was going to take her from Damon. For an instant Damon clutched her, terrified for some reason. He may trust Stefan, but when push came to shove he knew that he wouldn't trust anyone with her – not really. Not even Rebecca. He loved Rebecca more than anything, but when it came to Tari she wasn't safe with anyone but him.

He turned to her. "Did anyone else see the body?"

For a split second she wondered about telling him that Liam too, had seen the girl. But a second later she dismissed the thought. What would Damon do if he knew Liam had seen it? She doubted that he would like the fact that Liam, not to mention Sawyer, knew that they were vampires. Would he compel them? Or tell her to stay away from them? Either way, she wasn't going to risk it.

"No."

He nodded, satisfied with her answer. "You go with Stefan and Elena, okay? I'll be back soon."

She nodded, and moved towards them. Was it his imagination, or did she seem just as reluctant as he did?

**xXx **

"Not again."

Liz stared at the girl, her eyes searching the girl critically. She was studying her in the way only a sheriff would. Alaric, on the other hand, looked numb. He hadn't seen many bodies before, but he had believed that he had gotten used to all things vampire-related. But he was frozen. This girl had been one of his students. It always hurt a little bit more, knowing the victim.

The sheriff rotated her body to face the two of them. "I think we have to assume that this isn't a one-off attack. A vampire's clearly lurking round here." She bit her lip, looking round the area. The sun was setting, lighting the garden in a certain orange glow. It would have been the perfect evening to sit on the porch with a glass of wine, mulling over the past and your life in general. Liz reflected that, while that sounded pleasant, that person with the wine could never be her, because the first thing she thought of was: "The vampire can walk in the sun. This girl has only been dead – by the looks of it – half an hour or so. The body's still fresh. Whoever this vampire is, we may have to work with the possibility that they have a ring like yours."

Damon hadn't thought of that. He cursed, turning away from the body. "Anyone could be attacked at any time."

"It could be in there right now." All three of them turned to face the Lockwood mansion. Damon was suddenly extremely glad he had made sure Tari was safe at home.

"How are we supposed to defend ourselves?" Liz said. She wished she was in her sheriff uniform rather than this glittering dress. It would make her feel safer somehow, more in control. She found it hard to move in this. It wasn't what she was used to.

"The way we did the last time," Damon answered. "We need to arm ourselves with stakes and vervain and hope that we will be able to catch it. I want a guest list of who attended this party."

"Jesus Damon," Alaric said. "Almost everyone comes to this thing! Someone could have slipped in without anyone noticing."

"Not a vampire though," he shot back. "They would have had to been invited in. We'll question Cara, see if she remembers anyone suspicious."

"What will we tell her parents?" Alaric asked. Surely that had to be the worst thing, telling a child's parents that they would never see a smile light on her face again?

"Animal attack," Liz answered. "People believed it once, they'll believe it again. This one though, we won't be able to hide it from the press."

Damon bit his lip, staring across at the house, lost in his thoughts. "I know," he murmured after a moment. "But right now we have more important things to do." He turned his head to the girl again, forcing himself to not see a child; not to see Tari.

**xXx **

She took a shower.

Tari was becoming to hate these events. They all led to problems, from attacked girls to the risk of being set on fire. They exhausted her, left her breathless and shaking. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the girl: golden blonde hair flowing from behind, a few of the ends tinted with a dark sticky substance; that substance almost pouring from her neck. She knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Changing into her pyjamas, she stepped out of the bathroom. Checking her phone, she saw she had two messages.

One was from Sawyer:

_God T, r u ok? Liam told us what happened. Is still in shock. Thanksgiving 2moz so can't come ova, but call if you want 2 talk. Hope u r ok. C u soon. Xoxoxo _

The other one was from Allen:

_R u okay? _

Even after everything, Tari had to smile. Typical Allen: always thinking about others before himself. She hoped he was okay. He'd scared her a little.

But then, was he right? She thought back to her moments with Caleb. He had been so nice, charming... However, Tari knew that appearances didn't mean anything; never judge a book by its cover. He had moved into Mystic Falls when the attacks had begun. Of course, it was all so simple.

But what if she was wrong? She didn't know anything, not really. After all, maybe her constant imagination was simply getting the better of her again. She knew she couldn't just accuse him – she had to get proof.

Damon wouldn't be happy about that. She flipped through a book, not seeing the words but enjoying the way the letters flittered past, changing in a moment. Tari knew that her father would keep a tight rein on her for the next few days, and probably until they'd caught the vampire. _It's going to hard to see the others. _

The door knocked, and Stefan entered. "Hey."

Tari didn't smile. "Hey."

Her uncle sat on the end of the bed. "Want to talk?"

She shook her head.

"Are you sure?" Surprisingly he smiled. "Damon's going to make you talk whether you like it or not. Might as well practice on me."

She knew he was right and, sighing, she pushed herself up on her hands. "Do you think you'll find the vampire who killed her?"

"Probably. I know Damon; he won't give up. Once he gets something in his teeth he'll shake it until its dead. It shouldn't be long before he finds out who did this."

"Good," Tari said. She wanted whoever had killed that girl to be dead. _But what if it is Caleb? What if he had got carried away? What if he hadn't meant to kill her? _

A part of her was telling her that it was no excuse; that no one should be allowed to kill. Yet how could she say that? Her father, uncle and aunt were all vampires, and had surely done this at least once or twice. They had killed people. So what if Caleb had killed somebody?

But she couldn't make herself believe that. She couldn't persuade herself that it was the right thing. That girl had lost her life. How was that right?

"Hey." Tari glanced up and remembered that Stefan was still in her room. "Are you okay?"

_That's the million dollar question right now, isn't it? _"Just dealing with it all, I guess."

He nodded. "You should talk to Elena," he offered. "She went through all of this when she was little older than you were. Finding out about vampires and having people turn up dead. That was in the early years, when everything was insane. But things calmed down. I think this will too."

"You think?" Tari couldn't help it; once again her mind was going into overdrive, thinking what she shouldn't. "But what if you're wrong?" She paused a moment before asking, "What do you mean, in the early years? What happened then?"

She saw Stefan pause for the briefest of moments. But he was good at masking his emotions, and instantly smoothed his face out. Tari wasn't even certain that she hadn't seen things. "Nothing really. It's all in the past. We'll explain later."

She felt her stomach twist. Was Stefan lying? Why did it seem like he was lying?

Why did she always feel like someone was lying to her?

Stefan stood, reaching over and ruffling her hair. "See you in the morning kid."

"Night Uncle Stefan," Tari said. She did her best to smile, but it felt forced, and both of them knew it.

Once he'd gone she wrapped the covers round her body. She knew it; something was going on. Damon, Stefan and Elena were all keeping something from her. She could feel it in her bones, and it scared her. Terrified her. She felt completely alone.

_You're not alone. _

She didn't know where the voice had come from. It sounded...

The voice was right. She wasn't alone. Maybe the three of them had their secret, but she had Sawyer, Liam and Allen. Their friendship was her secret: the way Sawyer would stop off and get coffee before they started the day (well, coffee for Tari and herself, hot chocolate for Liam and a herbal tea for Allen) and wouldn't take any money for it; how Tari would always help Sawyer with her history homework and Liam would help her with maths and Allen would help everybody with chemistry; how Sawyer was the one who would always laugh and Liam was the protective one and Allen was the mediator and she... What was she?

She couldn't help but smile when the thought came to her. She was one of them.

**xXx **

It was late when Damon came home. As soon he went through the door he heard people in the kitchen. He walked towards the voices and found Stefan and Elena sitting there. Elena was standing on one side of the counter, Stefan sitting on the other side.

Both of them turned to him. "Hey," Stefan said. He too, sounded exhausted.

"What's going on?" Elena asked immediately. "I don't suppose you know who killed that girl?"

"No," Damon sighed, collapsing on the stool. "Is there coffee?"

Without having to ask, Elena poured him a cup. "Decaf," she said before he took a sip. At that Damon pulled a face and placed it back on the counter. "You're exhausted Damon. Coffee will just make it harder for you to sleep."

"Stefan may put up with your crap, but I won't."

"Stop it," Stefan said. His voice was drained. "We have more important things to deal with."

Instantly Elena and Damon subsided, knowing he was right. "I've got a list of who might have killed her," he said. "All the members who came to the party." Both Stefan and Elena winced. "Yeah, I know. The only thing we'll be able to do is keep an eye on people. Look for someone who seems suspicious."

"That's all?" The tone of Elena's voice showed her frustration.

"If you have any more plans, I'd be happy to hear them." Damon didn't sound angry though, merely tired. He half hoped Elena did have an idea; he could really use one right now.

"It doesn't seem right," she said, before she too leant against the counter. "This vampire could be wandering the streets and no one would be able to tell."

"He can walk in the sun," Damon said. Elena jerked her head upwards while Stefan groaned.

"That makes it even harder," Elena muttered.

"Tell me about it." He glanced at the clock and realised it was past midnight. "Some Thanksgiving."

"Well," Stefan began after a moment's silence, "it's definitely our kind of Thanksgiving."

Elena and Damon couldn't help but smile. "Yeah," Elena agreed. "We are vampires, after all. I don't think we'll ever have a normal holiday. Just as well, I guess. I hated family meals – we always ended up in a fight."

"Since when do we not have fights?" Damon said, smirking.

"Another family tradition," the younger Salvatore said. He pulled himself up, stretching. "I think we should all go to bed. God knows this has been a long enough day." He paused for a second – he didn't want to ruin this moment, even though it wasn't exactly a happy one – no, it was a peaceful one. But despite this, Damon had to know.

"I may have messed up," he said after a moment. "I mentioned to Tari about when Elena found out about vampires, and how everything was crazy back then. And she asked about them."

Both Damon and Elena froze. "Did you tell her-"

"Nothing specific," answered Stefan quickly. "But she wants to know more."

Damon had been about to get back up, but instead fell back on the stool again. "She's smart," he said. "She knows something's up."

"I keep telling you to tell her," hissed Elena.

"You're being unhelpful, as usual," Damon said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm right," she insisted. "If Tari knew, she would be on the look-out."

"If she knew, she would be terrified," Damon answered back. "I don't want that for her. Besides, we can protect her-"

"By suffocating her," Elena snapped.

"She has a vampire family, Elena. Her mother's died, and she's been thrown into a world that someone that young shouldn't know exists. She's just a kid for Christ's sake! I want her to at least have a little bit of a normal childhood."

The room was quiet for longer than a moment. Time seemed to stretch at that point. Finally Elena broke the silence: "I get it Damon, I do. But you need to be realistic. Her childhood isn't normal anymore."

Damon stood up. "I'm her father. I get to make the decisions about her."

As they heard his footsteps go upstairs, Stefan and Elena exchanged a look. "You shouldn't have pushed him Elena."

Furious at her husband for not taking her side, she gathered the empty cups and placed them in the dishwasher. "I wasn't pushing him," she snapped. "We both know Tari will do that by herself."

**xXx **

_I'm happy – happier than I have been in a long time. But then it ends abruptly when she leaves a voicemail cancelling her earlier promise to come to the party. _

_Instantly it depresses me. My mood darkens. I contemplate going to the bar and destroying the place – or rather, any other place, because I really need that bar. It doesn't help that the engagement party is merely hours away and everything is being set up. The theme is _white_ which I don't get – if this is white, than what is the wedding? _

_Inside I know I am acting insane, but I don't care. For some reason it crawls under my skin, and I want to rip it out – so instead of ripping someone else's head off, I do the next best thing. _

_I know the name of where the house that she lives in, and after about an hour I finally pull up on the drive way. It's a big house, big enough to put even the Salvatore boarding house to shame. Beautiful too: ivy, though it's a parasite, looks stunning against the whiteness of the house; the garden is huge and beautiful, with multicoloured flowers. It reminds me out of the house of a fairytale. _

_I get out the car and go to the door. Unsure – I mean, who actually lives here again? Her parents and sister? What if they answer the door? Has Rebecca told them about me? _

_What are we, exactly? _

_I knock on the door anyway. To my immense relief the door opens and dark brown hair appears. Her brown eyes are wide when she sees me. "Damon." She jerks her head back to the door and quickly closes it. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"_

"_Doesn't matter," I say. "You don't look ill, so tell me: why exactly are you not coming?"_

_She looks uncomfortable, shifting onto one foot to another. My stomach feels queasy, a feeling that I haven't had in a while. She glances up at me, those big cow brown eyes. "I don't think this is working, Damon." _

"_What? What isn't working? We haven't done anything!" _

"_That's not true! We kissed." _

"_One kiss," I say. "That's nothing." _

_She glowers at me. "Shows how much you know." _

_I sigh, glancing up. It's nearly noon, and the party will be starting soon. "Look, I get it." _

"_Get _what_?" _

"_I understand why you're scared. You've been hurt before. So hurt that you don't want to get involved with anyone. But you can't live your life like that. That's not living, that's hiding. And it's not right. I get being scared, because I've been scared. Terrified even. But taking that chance, even if it doesn't work, gives you the best feeling in the world. I know, because that's what it felt like with you."_

"_Damon please-" She begging me to stop, but I can't._

"_I know you felt it too. That's why you're pushing me away, because that feeling makes it even worse. Like I said before, I understand. It's okay, if you're not ready for me – for this. Believe me, I have plenty of problems. Being hung over on my brother's girl is the _least _of them. I understand if you're not ready to be with me." _

_This hurts, more than I thought it would. But...there's something about this girl that makes me want to be different. I don't want to hurt her, because I can already tell that she's been in pain before. Who am I to give her that pain again? _

"_That's okay. But just...let yourself be with someone. Don't close your heart completely. Please." _

_She stares at me. Those eyes of hers make me want to scream and cry and beg for her to stay with me. But it would be pointless. I can't force her to be with me. If she's not ready... _

"_Goodbye Rebecca." Before I can do any of those things I turn away and head back to my car. I don't take another look at her; I can't. I don't, not even in the rear view mirror. _

_As I drive down the road I feel a certain wetness in my eyes. I have to pull over and wipe my eyes. "Stop it," I tell myself fiercely, but that somehow makes the tears come out faster. "She's nothing. Nothing compared to Elena." _

_I tell myself that. But I don't think my heart is listening. _

**xXx **

Tari knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. The darkness was admittedly comforting, making her feel safe. Yet she couldn't help but remember what easily came out of the darkness. Maybe being afraid of the dark wasn't a stupid fear. After all, you couldn't see what was coming until it was too late.

She heard the door open, the hinges creaking as they did. She froze, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Hey," she heard Damon's quiet voice. "Are you awake?"

She sighed. "No."

The door closed and she heard his footsteps, and eventually she felt his weight shift on the bed. She moved her head so it was leaning against his stomach. "Do you know who did it?" she whispered.

She heard him sigh. "No. Don't worry, we will."

Tari paused, weighing her words carefully. "Is this what all vampires do?"

Damon didn't answer for a few moments, and Tari could tell he was debating about saying to her. "Most of them. Some vampires just take blood and compel people to forget. Some do drink blood bags like we do."

"Do any of them drink animal blood, like Uncle Stefan?"

"Not many. Drinking animal blood, it's problematic for vampires, because compulsion doesn't work as well. You're not as strong or as fast as other vampires are if you drink animal blood."

"Then why does Stefan drink it?"

"It's a long story-"

"_Damon_." She wasn't going to have her question avoided again.

"God you're impatient," he said, though there was a slight grin on his face. "Alright, Stefan can't drink human blood because he becomes addicted to it. He's too dangerous. Stefan won't hurt you, don't worry. He's got it under control. Still, we find it best not to have him hang around human blood if it's not necessary."

The thought of Stefan hurting her was so pathetically stupid that Tari didn't even feel worried about it. Perhaps she was too tired. She knew that soon she would obsess about it, just like she obsessed about a lot of things these days. But she couldn't help it. To be honest, it made sense; why couldn't vampires become addicted to blood?

Part of her wanted to ask if he had done that – if he had killed people like that. But she was too sleepy to really ask the question; after all, she didn't want to word a question like this wrong. Besides, another part of her was certain that she didn't want to know the answer to it.

After all, didn't she know the answer already?

That was another thing: if she could forgive Damon for it, why couldn't she forgive Caleb?

Her mind was too tired for these questions. She could feel herself slowly slipping to sleep, her previous insomnia evaporating.

Gently Damon disentangled himself from her. "See you in the morning," he whispered, kissing her forehead. Tari stirred sleepily, wanting to say more, but when she opened her eyes she couldn't see him.

She closed her eyes, and before she knew it she was asleep.

**xXx **

Tari had been right about Damon being protective. She found she couldn't take a foot outside without Damon stopping her. On the one hand, she didn't have her turn in taking out the trash, and she probably wouldn't have had chance to see any of the others anyway. But it was still annoying, just _knowing _that she couldn't step outside. She could understand why Damon got irritated at her sometimes: tell her _not _to do something, and instantly she wanted to do it. Admittedly she did act like a child sometimes. Hell, she was Damon's daughter.

She flopped onto the sofa in-between Damon and Stefan, who were both watching the game. "It's so boring," she complained.

"Don't you have homework?" Damon asked, keeping his eyes on the television. "Alaric gave you an essay to write."

"How do you know all this?" Tari asked, staring at him. _I know that they talked on my phone, but I didn't expect Mr Saltzman to tell my father about my homework. _

"They hang out," Stefan said.

"_What?_" said Tari, sitting up straight. "Please don't tell me you hang out with my teacher."

Damon (for the first time) turned his head, smirking at his daughter. "We're old drinking buddies."

She groaned, sinking back on the sofa. "You couldn't be any more embarrassing."

"It's not my fault. We've been hanging out long before you came along. Before you were born, even. That's how I happen to know that it's in for the end of the holidays. So, aren't you going to get cracking?"

"It's Thanksgiving. I shouldn't be doing homework on Thanksgiving."

"Fine – watch football then."

"Actually," Tari said, sitting up a little further. "I think I'm going to go outside. Maybe for a walk-"

She made a move to stand up, but before she could take a step both Stefan and Damon grabbed her by the elbows and pushed her back down.

"You're being ridiculous," snapped Tari. "No one in their right mind would come after me, not when I'm living with three vampires."

"Not if they don't know we're vampires," Damon answered.

"Doesn't that give us an advantage?"

"You've obviously been playing chess with her if she's talking strategy," Stefan said, smirking. He stood up, heading towards the kitchen. "D'you want a beer?"

"Sure." Damon leant back on the sofa, his eyes still on the television, watching the cheerleaders prance about on the pitch.* Tari wacked his arm to get his attention.

"What was that for?" he asked, though admittedly it barely hurt.

"I just wanted to know how long you're planning to keep me on house arrest," she said, ignoring the question.

His clear blue eyes looked at her as if she was asking if there were flying pigs. "Until we catch the vampire."

"And how long will that take? Only I do have a life that I'd like to live."

Damon leaned in closer, smirking. "Then I suggest you stay inside the house if you want to continue it."

Tari turned away, her mind whizzing past in thought. She was beginning to feel a little guilty about not telling him about her suspicions. But could she really tell him about Caleb, when she herself wasn't sure that he was really a vampire. If Damon interrogated him (and she shuddered to think how he would do it) and he wasn't a vampire, she couldn't be like, "Sorry about that, now can I see your place?" Besides which, she wanted to keep Caleb as far away from Damon as possible, especially if she was going to date him. She could only imagine what he would do if he found out she was dating someone. If he was protective now, she dreaded to think what he would do if she was actually going out with someone.

_Yep, it's official: my life is ruined. _

"So this is what you do for Thanksgiving?" she asked. "Watch the game?"

"Yep."

"You don't have a family meal? Sit around the table saying what you're thankful for?"

"What, after yesterday's meal? Do you really want more food?"

"Not really," admitted Tari. "But I do want something to eat."

"I'll make us some food later," he said, yawning. He stretched his arm, wrapped it round her shoulders. "Anything but turkey – I can't eat it again. But if you want to do something for today, than we can."

Tari's usual Thanksgiving would be spent at her Aunt Isabel's. Her grandmother and grandfather took turns coming, because if they were ever in the same room together for longer than five minutes there would be a shouting match. The last Thanksgiving neither of them were there – her grandfather had passed away a few years back, and her grandmother had dementia.

To be honest, Thanksgiving had been nothing special: her mother would cook, because she was a chef, and Isabel's boyfriend of the month would watch the game, possibly with her mother's boyfriend of the month, and then they'd have a huge family meal before conking out on the sofa. Admittedly Thanksgiving wasn't a big celebration, not like Christmas had been. But Tari missed it, just a little. Now that she knew she would never have it again, she got nostalgic.

Damon watched her face. "Or we could watch a movie," he suggested. "With some buttered popcorn and tons of chocolate."

Tari perked a little at that. It would be nice to be able to lose herself in a film, get wrapped up in the laughter or the drama, whichever they chose. "You wouldn't mind missing the game?"

Well, yes he would, though not as nearly as much as Stefan. Then again, they were vampires – did it really matter that they were missing on Thanksgiving football game when they could see countless more? "No," he said, getting up. "You get the film, I'll make the food."

As Tari scampered off the pick of film, Damon walked into the kitchen, finding Stefan talking to Elena. "Change of plan," he said as Stefan looked up. "We're watching a film instead. Tari's picking it."

"Thank God," Elena said, slapping the book shut. "I've been so bored with you two drinking beer over the football. I'll go help her pick."

Elena had disappeared in the blink of an eye. He raised his eyes, looking at Stefan head-on. The youngest Salvatore brother was staring at Damon. "You do realise," he said slowly, "that instead of watching the football, we're going to watch some chick flick? Do you remember what you said to me when I was marrying Elena? 'That I was losing my man-hood'. Who's losing their man-hood now?"

Damon grimaced. "Whatever Stefan," he said, realising that he was right. What was worse was that he hadn't even noticed.

What was worse was that he didn't even care.

**xXx **

Of course, peace in the Salvatore household was like peace across the world: fleeting, and never going to last. A few days later war broke out once again.

"You can't keep me in here like I'm a prisoner!"

"Watch me."

"People are walking outside all the time and none of them have been attacked."

"Statistics don't matter to the individual."

Tari flung herself down on the stool. "But I'm _bored _Damon! I've been in the house for the past four days! I just want to go out and be in touch with the real world for a little while."

"There is a vampire out there which could kill you in three seconds."

"So could a car."

"You can stay away from roads and look where you're going to avoid being hit by a car. A vampire could get at you anytime, anyplace that isn't your home."

"What the hell is going on?" Elena asked as she entered. In the other room Stefan rolled his eyes. One thing about Elena was that he could never understand was that she could never help joining a fight. He only prayed that there were never three sides to an argument, because he was certain that each of them would take one side and never back down. Why the hell couldn't they just let things go?

Tari turned her attention to Elena. "Oh nothing, just Damon being an ass as usual."

Damon glowered at her. He crossed his arms, leaning against the counter. "Are you trying to get me to agree with you? 'Cause you're going the wrong way about it."

"I don't know what else I can do to convince you to let me out of the house."

Elena settled on the stool next to Tari. "Ah, I get it. You want to leave."

"Just for a few hours," said Tari, pleading once again. "And I'll be at The Grill the entire time. You can drop me off if you want, as long as you let me walk back."

"Oh yeah," scoffed Damon, "because I'm going to let you walk home as it's getting dark."

"Obviously the vampire attacked when it was light," said Tari, though she wished that she hadn't mentioned it. Thinking about the dead girl made her stomach go queasy. It didn't help that she hadn't been sleeping well recently. It wasn't just the high school girl; she was having the dream again, the one where she was falling. It always felt real: the cool air against her skin, her hair whipping in front of her (every time she had the dream she always fell backwards so she could never see when she was going to hit the ground), her ears echoing with the sound that reminded her of the engines of an airplane. She always woke up breathless as if she'd just gotten off the treadmill. It wasn't as bad as the others, the ones that her mother was in. But at the same time she felt fearful, and she couldn't get it out of head. It didn't terrify her like it did the first time, but even so...

Elena nudged her. "You're not helping yourself," she hissed from the corner of her mouth, knowing full well that Damon could hear her. "But she's right. You can keep her in the house as much as you want, but what happens when school starts?"

"My point exactly," Tari said, earning another glare from her father.

"She'll miss too much if you keep her home," Elena said, and Tari could tell Damon was beginning to weaken.

"The longer you keep me in here, the more I'll fight you on it. If you don't let me out I'll just find a way to get out myself."

"And _that's _supposed to convince me to let you go?" Damon asked. He hated Tari when she was like this; she reminded him too much of himself. He never followed the rules, not when he really wanted something. And he could tell Tari really wanted to go. _Why couldn't she be a loner? _

"If you let me go, I promise I will let you drop me off and pick me up. I'll carry a stake round in my pocket if you want me to. I'm already wearing and drinking vervain." Tari hated drinking tea, but Damon practically forced it down her throat because of the vervain mix they had. Admittedly he had a point; after all, if a vampire was trying to drain her blood they would be stopped right in their tracks.

Damon raised his head, staring at the ceiling. After a moment he scrunched his eyes shut. "I'll drop you off at one and pick you up at four."

"Five."

"Three."

"Fine, four."

"Done."

Tari exploded in thanks and Elena beamed at him, but when they had both left Damon lifted his phone and texted Alaric. _U need 2 b d grill between 1-4. _

_N y would I do that? _

_Cuz I can't babysit my daughter so I have 2 get some1else 2. _

After a moment Alaric texted back. _Let's discuss payment. _

**xXx **

Tari spotted her friends instantly. They were sitting in a booth as far from people as they could be. As she got closer she noticed how sombre the mood was; even Sawyer looked depressed.

"Hey," she said, sliding in a seat next to her.

"Hey," Sawyer said, turning round. Her entire face brightened when she realised Tari had arrived, and she couldn't help but be overjoyed by this. The blonde reached over and squeezed her hand. "How are you?"

She nodded. "Okay, considering." She looked over to Liam. The boy was clearly shattered: his short blonde/brown hair was a mess and he had huge dark circles under his eyes. He was leaning on his elbow, his usual straight, athletic posture forgotten in tiredness.

"How are you?" she asked, her blue eyes round with sympathy.

"Never better," he answered with a weak smile – one that didn't quite reach his eyes. He sat up, leaning against the back of the booth. "I've just been having trouble sleeping, that's all."

"Tell me about me," Tari grumbled.

"The worst thing about it is my parents keep asking me what's wrong. I mean, they _know _I'm having problems, and they want to help. They have the best of intentions, but they're driving me crazy. It's not as if I can even tell them about." Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. "I'm only keeping it from them because I love them. Knowing this...it screws you up in a way."

Tari knew exactly what he meant. After all, she'd all but broken down when she found out about vampires and witches.

"I know what you mean," Allen replied. Tari looked at him for the first time. He didn't look too good himself, though at least he was sitting up straight. "I think my mom knows something's up. She isn't fooled by the reports of the animal attack. She keeps on wanting to know where I'm going. I think...I think she's getting suspicious."

Sawyer groaned. "Parents. Honestly, even the money they give us isn't worth the hassle they put us through."

There was quiet for a moment. The noise from the other side of the bar seems far away, a different world to theirs.

"I think I know who did it," she whispered.

Liam, Allen and Sawyer's heads shot upwards. "What?" said Sawyer, her green eyes focussed on Tari.

"I think I know who killed her," Tari said again. Allen glanced over to the other people by the bar, but was thankful that none of them were paying them any attention. Nonetheless he leant forward, motioning the others to do the same.

"It's Caleb, isn't it?" he asked.

"Wait – the new guy? The guy that hit on you? The guy that you freaked out about?" Sawyer said it all so fast it was only because the other three knew her well enough to decipher it.

Allen's expression was serious. "Makes sense," he said. "I don't like the feeling I got around him. Even if he isn't a vampire, there's something suspicious about him."

Sawyer turned her green eyes on Tari. "Are you going to tell your father?"

"Tell him what? That I think some cute guy might be a vampire? I have no proof, and if I'm wrong then he's scared the crap out a guy for nothing."

"He'd probably compel him to forget," Allen pointed out.

Now _that _stopped Tari in her tracks. She hadn't thought of that.

"She's right," interjected Liam.

Once again Tari was surprised. "I am?"

"You are." Liam stared her right in the eye, those blue eyes clear like water. "Look, we don't know anything about this guy for certain. All we know, he could be innocent. So I suggest we just watch him for a while, see if we notice anything suspicious. If we're wrong, then we've wasted no one's time and hurt no one. But if we're _right_..." His eyes suddenly flashed, like lightening in a thunderstorm. "Then I want to look him right in the eye and ask him how he could have done that to a girl."

This time the silence was brought on with surprise, not tension. Tari had never seen Liam so angry. Yet it wasn't out of character; Liam was extremely protective of Sawyer. It was in his personality.

"You do realise this is dangerous," Allen said. His brown eyes were guarded, anxious. "This is a vampire we're talking about. If he thinks we're on to him, then we might as well be walking around with a bullseye on our chests."

"Not you," Sawyer said. She said it slowly, like the sun rising. Tari could practically see the wheels turning in her head. "If you were around, you would be able to stop him, right?"

He bit his lip. "I guess," he admitted. "I've learnt witchcraft at a young level, so it's difficult for me to keep up the use of some spells. But I could probably do it long enough to stop him in his tracks."

"Then we have an advantage," Sawyer said. When she leant back, she was grinning the grin of a Cheshire cat.

"So you're all willing to do this?" Allen looked at each of them in turn. "We're risking our lives for this."

"Yeah," Liam said instantly. "If it stops other people from getting hurt, then I say it's well worth the risk."

Sawyer bit her lip, looking uncertain. After a few seconds she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and nodded, as if she was giving permission to have someone stick a needle in her. "Lee's right. If there's anything we can do to help, then let's do it."

Allen turned his attention to Tari. He looked at her as if she was the only one here.

Tari knew the risk she was taking. If her father knew what was going on, he would pack her bags and send her to a French convent, like they did to women in the 1400 and 1500s.

But then, she was Damon Salvatore's daughter.

She looked directly at Liam, and allowed the smirk of Damon Salvatore to cross her face. "Bring it on."

**xXx **

The night before school started again, Tari ran her eyes down the outfit Sawyer had picked out for her to wear. The blonde had leant Tari her purple jacket that Brooke Davis had bought her from New York and a golden glittery scarf. She would also be wearing the shortest denim skirt she owned and her stylish brown boots. And she couldn't forget her grey top that showed off her breasts.

Yes, they had a plan. It wasn't perhaps the best plan in the world, but they were fourteen (well, Sawyer was fifteen) and she didn't think it was too bad. It wasn't as if they were stupid; Sawyer aced every class she was in, and they knew everything there was to know about vampires. They could handle it.

She hoped.

There was a knock on the door, and Damon entered. Tari smiled at him, though she knew that it wasn't quite as bright as it usually was. The truth was that she was beginning to feel bad about keeping the secret from him. If she told Damon it would be handled in two seconds.

But then Liam had spoken, and she had seen the look in his eyes. She didn't feel as if she would be able to refuse him.

And then there was the other reason, the one that she barely admitted to herself...

She liked him. She had liked Caleb. She didn't know what it was about him, but something about him had sent shivers down her back. She didn't know whether he was a vampire or not, and even if he was, if he had hurt that girl. Even if he was a vampire... Damon, Stefan and Elena were vampires. They were good. Maybe he was too.

Damon wouldn't see that though. If he discovered Caleb was a vampire, it wouldn't matter whether he had injured that girl or not. He wouldn't allow her to see him, even if he was just a friend. She wouldn't put it past him to send him packing, if not worse... And if she was completely honest, she didn't blame him. He was right to try and protect her; God knows he had good reason where vampires were concerned.

But it was her life. She had to be the one to live it.

"Hey," he said, placing the glass of water on the bed. "You ready for bed?"

"Yeah," Tari said, going towards the bed. Trying to get Damon to extend curfew was like trying to convince the Italians to stop eating pasta.

He sat down on the bed next to her as she got comfortable, and that was when Tari instantly knew something was wrong. Without thinking she tensed. "Look, I was thinking..."

"Yes?" Tari asked, waiting for it.

"Maybe you should stay off school for a few days," he suggested. He avoided her eyes as he said it. "Y'know, have an extra long holiday."

"Damon," Tari groaned. Damon Salvatore was the only snag in their plan. For it to work, Tari had to be there – without her, as Sawyer pointed out, there would be no opportunity. He had flirted with _her_. Sawyer had debated that maybe she could ask him, but there was no guarantee it would work. Once again (according to Sawyer) Tari was a certainty.

"Stop being such a protective parent. I'll be fine. There are hundreds of people in that school, the chances of him being able to hurt me are zero."

"I've done it," Damon snarled. His eyes had gone dark, his expression mutinous. "I've managed it, as has Stefan and plenty of other vampires. The citizens of this town have a blind spot where vampires are concerned, and I'm not willing to put you in danger."

"I get it," Tari said. Damon turned away, his lips in a thin line, but Tari grabbed his chin and pulled it back towards her. "I understand that you're worried. Of course you are. But I'll be fine. I'm not going to do anything stupid."

_Liar! _

Damon still didn't look happy. He face was indifferent as he stared at Tari. She tried to remain composed, but her heart was racing and she was sure she'd be able to tell. After a few moments he said, "I don't like this Tari."

"I know."

"And I want to pick you up and drop you off."

"Of course," Tari said. _Don't grin. Whatever you do, don't act triumphant. _

"Okay," he finally agreed. "As long as you act responsible." He hugged her, wrapping his arm round her lower back. She rested her chin on his shoulder, feeling sick. She hated herself in that moment. He was trusting her, and she was lying to him. Straight to his face. Was there anyone on earth who was worse than she was?

**xXx **

By the lockers, Sawyer gave Tari a quick nudge. She jerked her head to the side, and sure enough there was Caleb. They weren't the only girls staring, but they were the ones who had a plan. And he had to be in hearing distance.

"He's totally hot," hissed Sawyer. They kept their voices low, knowing that it didn't matter.

"I think he's gotten hotter over the holiday," Tari answered. And she wasn't even pretending.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you going to ask him out or what?"

Tari bit her lip. "I don't know Sawyer..."

"Oh c'mon T! He was totally flirting with you at that Thanksgiving dinner! He's hot, practically has his own place, and he's a mature seventeen year old. You couldn't find a better guy if you tried. And don't try to tell me that you don't like him, because I know you too well."

"Sawyer-"

"Go and talk to him."

"You're insane-"

"I'll admit that, but you're my best friend and I insist."

"Look S, the only time I would be able to ask him out would be Friday – you know my father won't let me out on a school night."

"So ask him for Friday. Do it now before another girl does it – that whore Missy has her eye on him, and she doesn't deserve him at all. Now go!" She gave Tari a helpful shove over towards Caleb, who was at his locker. Tari shot Sawyer a look before she turned and walked over.

Casually she leant against the locker beside him, knowing that she was showing off her breasts. For a brief moment she felt like a zoo animal on show, but she pushed her thoughts to the side. "So," she began, attempting to sound cool, "do you know what the latest pool is?"

He turned his attention to her. She couldn't help but stare at those blue eyes – they were so beautiful. "Pool?"

"Asking about a hundred girls in every year, they have all agreed that you're the hottest guy in the school."

He smiled, and it almost looked like an unwilling one, like he didn't want to. "I'm honoured. Does this mean I get a reward?"

She pretended to think for a moment. "I guess we could give you a stuffed animal. Would you prefer a teddy or a dog?"

He leant against the locker, mirroring her position. "Wow. It's a really tough choice. May I offer a third option?"

"You may," answered Tari, unable to keep the smile off her face.

"Since I won the pool, maybe I could give you a chance to win? The Grill, Friday night?"

She cocked her head to side, pretending to think about it. "I don't know. I mean, my friends and I normally hang out at The Grill on Friday. I can't promise that they won't want to tag along – y'know, to keep an eye on me."

_You have no idea how true that is. _

"What's to say that I agree?"

"Well, it's my reward. And I'll let you break."

"Well," she said with a mock sigh. "I guess I could tear myself away from them for an hour or two."

"I'm honoured," he said. His grin was wide, and for an instance Tari felt guilty. She wondered whether she was doing the right thing.

But who was she to turn down a date with him?

**xXx **

Friday night came all too quickly. As she got dressed for her date, Tari felt nervous. She felt unprepared, though Allen, Liam and Sawyer had planned it all to the letter. Still, Tari had pointed out – and Allen had agreed – that they couldn't talk about it at school. Vampires that fed on human blood had super hearing, and neither of them felt comfortable talking about it when Caleb could be in the next classroom or just down the hall. And even though they'd planned almost every detail, she knew that you could scheme all you wanted and it didn't mean things would go right. After all, humans were unpredictable creatures – vampires included.

She didn't attempt to dress too sexy: she put on her best jeans and a cute top along with a nice jacket. No, to get past Damon she would have to look as if she wasn't going on a date. She had to look casual. She had a final check of her make up before she got ready to go, and on spur of the moment slipped on a bracelet that had once belonged to her mother. It was silver with little detailed hearts, and it shimmered in the light. It had been one of her mother's favourites; she'd worn it to both casual and classy events. Just seeing it on her wrist made Tari think smile, remembering her mother.

It was getting easier to smile instead of cry.

She grabbed her backpack from the floor and made her way down the stairs, trying to appear calm. _Relax. You can do this. _

Stefan was on the sofa, watching a game and Damon and Elena were in the kitchen. It looked so normal for a moment that it made Tari stop and lean against the threshold of the door. _Don't go_, a voice in her head said. _Stay with them. _

She wanted to, suddenly, so much. She wanted it to be a normal evening, listen to Damon make a crack about Elena's awful cooking and watch Elena and Stefan snuggle together and act gross and for Stefan and Damon to get into a debate. It struck her then how this had become normal for her; how much she actually enjoyed it.

Elena glanced up, spotting her. "Where're you going?"

But she – they – were on a mission. She couldn't let them down. Lives were on the line.

She stepped forward. "To Sawyer's," she answered without hesitation.

Damon's head jerked upwards; Tari could see the challenge in his eyes. "Oh yeah?" he asked. "I seem to have forgotten you clearing this with me."

"I only just decided," she replied. "I was doing my homework-" Damon raised his eyebrow, but Tari was wise enough to ignore it. "-and I always get really stuck with this maths homework. I was texting Sawyer and she said she could help me if I went over." She looked over at Damon. He was the one who had the final say when it came to her, though Elena and Stefan offered advice. "So, can I go?"

He didn't like this, she could tell. But she also knew that he didn't want her to be unhappy. She could tell that he was conflicted, trying to decide whether to be protective or if he was too paranoid. It made Tari feel even worse, knowing she was putting him in an uncomfortable position. "You're staying at Sawyer's?"

"Yeah."

"Just Sawyer's? Nowhere else?"

In her cream flats she crossed one of her toe over the other. But she looked Damon straight in the eye when she spoke. "Yeah, just at Sawyer's. C'mon Damon, a vampire isn't going to wander into their house. Mr and Mrs Scott are as normal as you get."

"She's right Damon," Elena added. Damon glowered at her, but Elena could never help but adding her two cents in. "You have to let her have some fun once and while."

Damon turned his attention back to Tari, who was beginning to feel as if she was in court – and lying on the stand. "It's just going to be you and Sawyer?"

Tari raised her eyebrows. "As far as I know. We're not inviting a whole group of people."

He sighed, and in that instant she knew she had him. "Pick you up at nine?"

It was nearly seven now; there wasn't enough time. "How about eleven?"

Damon grinned, albeit a little humourlessly. "No way."

"Ten thirty then?"

"Ten."

"Twenty past ten?"

"Ten," Damon said again, remaining firm.

Tari knew not to say no to a good deal when she was offered one. "Thanks," she said, forcing a grin. She was surprised, however, to find she wasn't overjoyed at the thought. Getting one over her father didn't feel as good as she thought it would; on the contrary, she felt rotten.

"Let's go," he said, putting the blood bag he'd been drinking in the fridge.

As Damon moved past her, Tari took one look back. Elena had moved over to sit next to Stefan on the sofa; they looked so cute together. The girl felt emotional all of a sudden, like it was the last time she was going to see this. "Bye," she called.

Elena and Stefan glanced over, both of them smiling. "Have fun," Stefan called. He then quickly snatched the book out of Elena's hands; the vampire cried out and tried to snatch it back. They were laughing and squealing. It was one of those moments that you see every day, that are filled with such ordinary beauty, people just need to look a little harder to see it.

Before she could blurt out something she would regret, Tari turned away and followed Damon to the car.

She slipped into the passenger seat as he started the engine. "You okay?" she asked, glancing at her before he started the car.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said quickly. _Do I look worried? I thought I was better at acting than this! _"Just a little stressed, that's all."

"School?" he asked.

"A little," she replied. She could see him watching her out the corner of her eye.

"Is it...boys?" He practically ground out the last word. He didn't even like to think about Tari dating anyone, especially not when she wasn't even fifteen. Why couldn't it be like the old days, where boys and girls were educated separately? Less contact, the better.

Tari grinned at him, despite everything. "Why Damon Salvatore, are you fishing?"

"Are you evading?"

She sighed, leaning her head against the glass. "No boys," she said, crossing her fingers this time. "Liam and Allen are just friends."

"Mmm," Damon answered, non-committable. Tari glanced at him, not liking the way he said that. Still she ignored – she didn't want to get in a fight with him. He might stop her from going to Sawyer's.

Besides, it felt wrong. She knew why, but she didn't want to think about it.

Feeling uncomfortable, she ran a hand through her hair. She was caught off guard when she moved her arm back down Damon caught it. She turned her head to him, and saw him take his eyes off the road (_he's such a bad driver_) and stare at her wrist. She realised that he was looking at her bracelet.

He didn't say anything for a moment. Tari didn't like the expression on his face – for some reason it made her feel... not scared, but slightly fearful. As if she was worried that she had upset him somehow. "It was mom's," she said to fill the silence.

Her words seem to have woken him. He blinked for a moment before releasing her arm. "It's pretty," he said. His voice though, it sounded wrong.

Suddenly Tari felt the urge to bring her up. She wanted to talk about her mom to Damon. It was the first time in a while she remembered wanting to talk about her mom, wanting to tell stories about the silly things she did – like when she almost set the chandelier on fire, or accidently (and to this day, Tari still didn't know how she did it) put chilli powder in her birthday cake. It didn't make her feel sad, not like it had before. Before, just the thought of her mother made her want to go in the shower and sob her heart out. But she always found it hard to talk about her with Damon. He never brought her up himself, never told a funny story about her, never shared a memory. It was almost as if it was painful for him too.

Damon stopped the car, and with a jolt Tari realised they had arrived. He turned to her, smiling. "Try not to have too much fun," he said.

She felt a rush of sympathy and love for him. They fought almost all the time, but still... He was her father. She moved over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, surprising him. "Thanks," she said, jumping out the car. "See you tonight?"

"Ten thirty," he called out.

On the path towards the house, she turned to face him. The surprise was clear on her face, and in an instant she had smiled. It was as bright as a star, fully covering her face. "Thank you."

He gave her a quick smile back and waited until she got inside. He stared at the closed door for a moment before driving away. He didn't understand the fear in the pit of his stomach. _It's just the usual fear you have when you leave Tari, _he told himself. Yet something didn't feel right, and Damon didn't like it.

**xXx **

Sawyer got Tari up in her bedroom as fast as she could. Once she closed the door she turned quickly to her friend. "How are you?" she asked in concern. "Ready for tonight-"

Tari shook her head quickly. She nodded to the window looking out to the drive, where Damon had just left. Sawyer seemed to get the message, and went to her stereo. She put a song on – Tari was surprised that it was a Simple Plan one – turning the volume up before beginning to speak. "Are you okay?"

Tari collapsed on Sawyer's bed. "Yeah, I guess."

Her friend sat on the bed beside her. "You guess?" she asked, raising one of her perfectly plucked blonde eyebrows. "You need to be sure."

Tari sent her friend a small smile. "I'm just nervous. Y'know, it's all happening tonight."

Sawyer reached forward and gripped her hand. "It's okay," she said. "I'm nervous too, and I don't have to do everything you have to." She paused. "We can back out," she reminded her. "It's not too late."

Tari couldn't help but feel a rush of love for her friend just for saying that. She squeezed her hand back. "It's okay," she said. "I can do this."

"We won't leave the room. One of us will always watch you. We won't let you anything happen to you. You remember the emergency word?"

Tari laughed a little. "TARDIS,"** she said without hesitation.

Sawyer smirked. "Well let's face it, unless he's a major _Doctor Who _fan I doubt he's going to bring it up and force you to say it. But I mean it T – say the word and we're gone."

"Let's hope I don't have too. But just in case..." Tari pulled her bag towards her and lifted out the supplies. She handed Sawyer a miniature stake and a vervain dart. Sawyer lifted the vervain dart, examining it. Damon had given them to her, insisting she take them everywhere she went, just in case. "Use these. I'll give some to Lee and Allen too."

"And these should stop the vampire?"

"A stake to the heart will kill him," Tari said, feeling sick again just because she was saying the words. "And the vervain will weaken him completely, giving us time to stab him."

"Wow," said Sawyer, laughing a little. "If someone had told me that my life would become an episode of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _I wouldn't have believed them."

Tari met Sawyer's eyes. "It doesn't feel as good as you think," she murmured.

They were both quiet for a few moments.

Sawyer pulled her up, obviously wanting an end to the sombre mood. "Help me pick something to wear. I love this dress," she said, showing it off. "But I have no accessories to go with it."

Tari studied it for a moment before rooting in her bag, pulling it out. "Here," she said, handing her friend a multicoloured bracelet. It was one of those childish, make-it-yourself bracelets, but Tari had always kept it. "I know it's a bit naff-"

"No way," Sawyer interjected. "It'll go perfectly." She smiled as Tari fastened it to her wrist. "I love you T, you know that?"

For the third time that evening Tari felt choked up. "I love you too S," she said, and pulled the girl in a hug. They stood in Sawyer's room, holding each other, and in that moment Tari was glad that she had ended up in Mystic Falls.

**xXx **

The ball landed perfectly in the pocket. "And that's another one for me," Caleb said. He turned to Tari, grinning as she sipped her drink. "So I've got, what, five in and you've got two?"

Tari sent him a mock glare, though she was a little peeved. She was usually very good at pool – her mother had claimed that her daughter had a natural talent for it, along with singing badly and remembering events that didn't matter anymore – but this was their third game and the last two times Caleb had beaten her.

"So I guess you're not the gentleman type that lets a girl win?" she asked, giving him a pout.

He shook his head. "Sorry, not my thing. I like to teach people to play well, so when they actually win they know it's because they're good."

"Yeah well, you've already won two games – you could let me win this one." She stuck her tongue out at him as she aimed. She sent the yellow ball straight into the pocket and grinned in triumph, but missed the next one. "I'm going to get another drink," she said, noticing that both their drinks were empty. _Finally. _"Same again?"

"Sure," he said. He smiled at her, his eyes lingering on her a little too long to be just a glance. _I'm so going to hell for this_, she thought as she walked to the bar, ordering two cokes.

Liam came up smoothly beside her. They had all agreed it should be him – they didn't want to use Sawyer again, and Liam was good at things like this. He could always act. "How's it going?" he asked her. His blue eyes were defiant, and Tari didn't like it – he was brewing for a fight.

He hadn't been like that before. Both Allen and Liam had come to pick them up. Liam had chatted to Sawyer's parents easily – but then, they were his aunt and uncle. As soon as they were outside, both boys turned to her. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Allen asked.

"We don't mind if you want to back out," Liam added. "We'll understand-"

Tari held up her hands. "It's okay," she said. "_I'm _okay. I just want to get this over with. I want to know whether he is actually a – well, I just want to know if I'm crazy."

Liam sent her a smile and Allen gripped her hand tightly. She turned to him and smiled, wishing he wouldn't be so concerned. He always seemed worried. He did his best to smile back at her, but she could see he was tense.

Now though, Liam seemed almost angry. She could see it in his eyes, simmering. She had never thought he would be one to get so angry at the death of someone he didn't know, even if it was unjust. Still, Liam had a way of surprising her – he had more layers than she thought. She placed a hand on him, widening her eyes. "I'm fine," she said, though what she really meant to say was _relax; don't give the game away. _

He seemed to get that; he took a deep breath that could be mistaken for a sigh. "So he's being okay to you?" He turned his body, placing his hand on the bar. It hovered over the drink, and discreetly he dropped a bit of vervain in the drink.

Tari waited for it to fade in the coke, turning to her friend. "You're wrong about him Lee," she informed him. "He's a good guy, except for the annoying habit that he's better than me at pool. Admit it, you're just jealous that girls think he's prettier than you are."

"Like I said, it's just because he's new." He sent her a look, and she gave a slight nod. _I'm okay. _"Anyway, let me know if you want to get out of here."

"I will," she said, and sending him one last smile she moved away. She knew he was going back to the table that Allen and Sawyer were sitting at. They had a perfect view of the pool tables, and she knew that they made sure at least one of them was watching.

She approached the table as he took another shot. "What, you got another in?" she said in mock horror. Pretending it was a casual gesture, she moved the vervain coke forward for him to take.

"Yeah. But if it makes you feel any better, I missed the last one for you." His eyes on the pool table, he reached over and – ignoring the drink she was handing him – took the other drink from her. Tari stared at him as he drank it, her mind going blank for a moment. _He took the _wrong _drink. What does that -? Was that an accident? _

When he looked at her she realised he had said something to her, and she forced herself to act. "Sorry?" she asked.

"Your go." He smiled at her again, and she felt something tighten in her stomach. This time though, she was certain this was fear.

As she bent down, her mind was whirling. _Did he know? But how could he? Liam and I were blocking the drinks, I was sure he couldn't have seen! Maybe it was an accident. We knew this could happen. _

When he bent down, she looked back at the others, who were all looking at them. She gave a quick shake of the head, letting them know something had gone wrong. They all tensed, she could see it. Turning back and smiling, she tried to calm herself. They had prepared for this, in case of spillage (Tari had warned them that, knowing her, it was almost certain). They had more.

This time, she would put it in both drinks.

**xXx **

He excused himself to the bathroom, even though he didn't really need to go. He snuck back to the bar, making sure that he wouldn't be seen. He saw Tari and her friend Sawyer by the table, heads bent and whispering. He didn't bother to listen – he knew exactly what got them in a panic.

He ordered two cokes, still watching them. He had to admit, their attempt was good. But he wasn't stupid. He had seen them put it in his drink. It was almost funny, thinking of how to avoid drinking the vervain. He had debated about spilling it over her, but that seemed a little too...obvious. Taking the wrong drink was the perfect way of not arousing suspicion, making them consider whether it was a mistake.

He could have left, yeah... But he wanted revenge. No one tried to trick him and get away with it. Besides, he wanted to have a little fun.

Carefully he slipped it in her drink. It fizzed for a few moments, but thankfully coke fizzed so it wouldn't show.

Oh yeah, he was going to have some fun with her.

**xXx **

Memories are usually our worst enemy. Okay, you can have some truly great memories: like your fifth birthday party, or when you first held your child in your arms, or the first kiss you ever got. They take you back to another time, another moment, and so vividly that sometimes you heart races again, fills with so much joy that's it's like it's happening all over again. But then, some memories are cruel. A place, a time, even a saying can bring back a memory that you try to push to the background, that you try to forget. They tangle themselves in your mind, refusing to leave. Some memories even affect you long in the future. But then, your past always comes back to haunt you, whether you're ready to deal with it or not.

This was what was happening with a certain vampire by the name of Damon Salvatore. He even had to stop the car, because he couldn't stop thinking about it. He loved this car, he didn't want to get in an accident and ruin it.

That bracelet... Oh God. How did Tari not know how much that bracelet meant to him? To them? He remembered when he gave it to her: it was for her birthday, while they were dating. He had searched everywhere to get her something meaningful. Money wasn't an issue; he had enough to buy her a house. But there was also the question of whether she would accept something that was expensive – knowing Rebecca she would refuse it.

He had seen it by chance. He had been looking through jewellery shops, and had almost decided on a necklace when he saw someone return this bracelet. As soon as the woman had left he demanded to see it.

He hadn't been able to take his eyes off it. Little detailed hearts joined it together, and it was a grey colour of silver – it didn't look cheap at all. He instantly knew that Rebecca would love it, and she had. She had put it on the second he gave it to her, crowing over it and kissing him in delight. Even after they weren't together, she wore it often. When he saw it on her wrist...it gave him hope.

_I have no hope. I have no heart. I have nothing. _

_Right now I feel empty. It's amazing I managed to dress in white for Elena and Stefan's stupid engagement party. I bet they picked white just because I always wear black. Typical. _

_I can't believe how much this has affected me. Rebecca's just a girl – there are plenty of fish in the sea. _

_Yet I can't get her sad face out of my mind. Those brown eyes of hers... So beautiful. _

STOP IT_. I turn to the bar and get a drink. As I do I feel someone slip beside me. "Hey." _

_Oh great. I didn't want to see Elena, anyone but her. I just got rejected by a girl, I don't want to be reminded how she rejected me. I don't answer her greeting, I don't look at her, I just keep drinking. The alcohol slips down my throat, but it doesn't make me feel any better. Damn it. _

"_The guests are starting to arrive," she mutters. "God this is going to be dull." _

"_You decided to have an engagement party," I remind her. _

"_That was Stefan's idea, not mine." _

"_Typical brother." I turn to face to garden, where the guests are entering. Stefan is already down there, saying hello and being the perfect host. I suppose I would be too, if I were in the mood. People should avoid me today. _

"_Are you okay?" When I finally look at Elena, she staring at me. _

"_I'm super," I say sarcastically. "Oh I can barely contain my joy." _

_She doesn't smile though; she simply stares at me. "Where've you been this week? I feel like I've barely seen you." _

_I don't want to talk about this week. It was too much fun, and it brings back too many memories of her. I realise how I'm acting – I knew her for five minutes – but I can't help it. Huh. Maybe I do have a heart after all. _

"_Listen, Damon," Elena says. I don't want to listen, and turn my head away from her to look at the guests. "I wanted to talk to you about something-"_

There she is.

_Her dress is like that of a Roman Goddess, light and flowing. It's white, so white it almost hurts my eyes but I'll be damned if I look away. Her hair too, is curled and flowing behind her, with a white band on top of her head. It's so dark, so stunning... _

_Her head turns slowly, eyes searching, and then she finds me. For a moment the two of us just stare at each other, unable to look away. In that moment I think we're both filled with yearning – that and fear, because I think this is the scariest and bravest thing Rebecca has done. _

_She smiles at me. _

_Oh yes, I definitely have a heart._

**xXx**

***I don't know anything about American football, so just assume that this is what happens during halftime **

****The TARDIS is the time-travel/space ship that The Doctor travels in from **_**Doctor Who **_**(one of the best programs EVER!)**

**Also, I had to put that at the end. I mean, has anyone else noticed that in TVD there can never be a happy ending? There is always something new that comes at the end e.g. Katherine in the shower. So I thought that I would give this chapter a little happiness at the end.**

**Hint: the bracelet that Tari let Sawyer borrow? It's significance will reveal itself in the next chapter!**

**So, please REVIEW! Pretty please! **


	14. NOTE: IMPORTANT  PLEASE READ!

**NOTE: IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! **

**Don't worry, I have no intention of giving up this story. However, I've noticed that when I publish this story it doesn't show up on list of updated stories. This is really annoying as I'm hoping to attract more people to this story. So could people who enjoy this story please let me know if THEY can see it on the list, because if they can it might just be me. **

**What I'm debating on doing is deleting this story and starting it again. Don't worry, I would basically just delete it, upload the chapters I have saved and create it again, hopefully putting it on the site so new readers can take a look at it.**

**If you enjoy this story and want to keep up with it, I suggest you put me on Author alert so when I create it again you'll get an email letting you know. **

**Would people please review to let me know what they think of this? **

**Once again I would like to thank people for reading this and reviewing. I love you all for enjoying my story, and I have so really BIG plans for it so don't worry, the drama will continue. THANK YOU! **


	15. The Tangled Webs We Weave

**Hey people! **

**So first of all I want to say a HUGE, ENORMOUS, AMAZING, GLITTERING, MUSICAL, WONDERFUL, SINGING-IN-THE-RAIN, DANCING-IN-MY-PJS ****THANK YOU ****to all the people who reviewed and said how great this story is. I honestly did not know how many people read this story, and some of the comments...they really touched me guys, seriously. If I wasn't inspired to write this story before, I am now. It's going to ROCK! All for my FANTASTIC, ****KISS ASS**** readers! **

**The next thing I wanted to say is that thanks to all of you I now know that this story shows up on the list of TVD fanfics. At least for you lot anyway, which is the main thing. Since you guys can see it (shrugs) I don't see any point in deleting it and putting you all through the hassle of having to favourite it/story alert it again etc. It's annoying that I can't see it (I always like seeing it up there – lame I know, but still...) but it doesn't matter, as long as other people can. So don't worry guys, it's staying as it is. Once again thank you!**

**So I won't make you wait any longer! Whole lot of drama and action in this chapter, even for me. Hope you can take it ;-) **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Tree Hill or the Vampire Diaries or any of the characters; exceptions include Tari, Liam, Allen, Rebecca and Caleb**

**xXx **

**Chapter Thirteen **

**The Tangled Webs We Weave **

Something was wrong.

Tari couldn't understand it, but she didn't feel right. At first she felt a little out of it, but not enough to make her leave. As the minutes ticked past though, she began to feel...wrong: she felt hot, too hot for what she was wearing, and a little dizzy. She tried to ignore it, telling herself that it was the fear, but it was difficult for her to concentrate.

"Hey." She jerked back when Caleb touched her. It was like lighter fluid, stinging her skin. He looked hurt, and for an instance Tari felt bad. "Are you okay?"

_The plan. Stick with the plan. _"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look a little flushed."

She _felt _flushed. No, she felt as if she was burning from the stomach up. "I just need a moment." Tari turned, heading towards her friends, but Caleb's strong arm stopped her. She turned to him, a little surprised. If she had been in her right mind, she would have noticed her instincts screaming at her, but her mind was fuzzy, as if it had been wrapped in cotton wool. It was like she couldn't _think_.

"Why don't you go outside? You'll cool yourself down."

She shouldn't have, sure knew that. But she honestly felt as if she was going to faint, and going outside seemed like a good idea. Tari tried to give him a weak smile, but it didn't seem to work. Instead she allowed herself to push past him and rushed outside. She could feel the others' looks from behind her, but she assured herself that she would text them once she was outside, out of Caleb's prying eyes.

When she got outside, she took a deep breath of air, for once pleased that she could see it in front of her face. She didn't exactly feel better, but she felt much cooler. She took a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair. Then she took her phone out and started to text the others.

Meanwhile, back inside The Grill, Sawyer, Allen and Liam were all watching the pool table. "What's going on?" hissed Sawyer. She tapped her nails nervously on the counter. She'd been doing that for the past hour, even though Liam kept snapping at her to stop.

"I don't know," Allen answered, very much aware that Caleb might be able to hear them. He didn't like the fact Tari hadn't looked good. He didn't feel right himself; things felt...off, and though he couldn't put his finger on it. _I knew this was a mistake_, he told himself, cursing.

Caleb turned his head, making eye contact with them. All three of them tensed, and Allen's senses went into overdrive.

Caleb smirked at them, and that was when the three of them simultaneously realised that this had been a big mistake.

A split second later he disappeared.

"_Shit_," Sawyer cursed and Liam leapt up, followed half a second later by the others. They charged towards the doors, not caring how other people noticed them. How was that people saw them but didn't happen to see Caleb magically evaporate? Then again, it helped that people could blink and he would be gone.

The trio burst out the doors, but the street was completely deserted.

"Oh my God." Sawyer rotated in a slow circle, her eyes still searching the scenery even though she knew very well that neither of them were around. "Oh my God."

Liam jerked his head round. "Fuck it!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the street. Unable to control his anger, he kicked the huge dustbin. The metal gave a loud ring, groaning from the pressure. He kicked it again and again, his face screwed up in fury – and guilt.

"Calm down!" snapped Allen, even though his tone was a contradiction. "Maybe she's just...I don't know – try her cell."

"Already on it," Sawyer replied, typing in her friend's phone number. She pressed it to her ear, praying to God and whoever was up there that Tari would answer. She even closed her eyes, picturing her friend as clearly as she could, as if it would somehow help. But she guessed God didn't exist, or maybe he just wasn't answering her, because Tari didn't either. She slapped the top of the phone down. "Damn it! She's not picking up."

"He took her phone." Liam's face was pale. He began pacing. "Shit. What do we do? Think!"

"Allen, you're a warlock – there must be something!" Sawyer stared at him, her green eyes wide and pleading, and he knew she was counting on him. He couldn't her down – her couldn't let Liam down either, and he certainly could not let Tari down.

"A locator spell," the warlock whispered, wondering why it hadn't occurred to him sooner. "We can find Tari using that – we need a map, and – it won't work, we need part Tari's blood, or – Damon! She's Damon's blood, if we get him we can use it-"

"Are you _kidding?_" Sawyer shrieked. Even in their panicked state the boys winced as Sawyer's voice reached new levels. "We _cannot _go to Damon Salvatore and tell him that Tari has been kidnapped by a vampire. She wasn't even meant to be out – it doesn't matter how hot Damon Salvatore is, he will kill us, bring us back to clean up the mess and kill us again!"

"It'll take too long," Liam added. "Unless either of you have Tari's home number or Damon's cell phone then we'd have to get to his house, and who knows how long that'll take, and by that point-" Liam's throat closed up, and he was unable to continue.

Allen paced up and down the street, his mind going at a hundred miles a minute. _You can do this! _he told himself. _Remember what Mom says – keep calm, it focuses you. _He closed his eyes briefly, picturing ocean waves and waving grass, and Tari's sweet smile as it lingered over her face...

"We can improvise," he said, opening his eyes. Both of the Scotts were staring at him, as if he was their saviour.

He didn't need to be theirs; just Tari's.

"Okay, I need water and something of Tari's."

"Something of Tari's?" Liam repeated. "But we don't _have _anything-"

"Yes we do!" cried Sawyer, once again causing the boys to flinch, but nonetheless they remained focussed on the task. She pulled her sleeve down and tugged at the bracelet, almost tearing it. She shoved it in Allen's hands as if was burning her. "It's a bracelet she leant me earlier tonight."

"Now the water," Allen said, but the words hadn't left his mouth before Liam burst back through the doors into The Grill, leaving Allen and Sawyer racing after him.

They tried to remain calm, act like it was an ordinary night – but more than a few people glanced at them strangely and the bar tender asked Liam if he was alright when he got a glass of water. But they couldn't act, not properly – too much was on the line to even think about trying hard.

Sitting at the table they had occupied previously, they hunched over the glass of water. Facing him, Liam and Sawyer watched him, almost in awe as they had when he had first throw a pencil at Liam without even touching it. Allen had panicked, agonised over what to tell them when he was told he was a warlock. He hadn't known how they would react. Afterward he felt ashamed for doubting them; they had been _brilliant_. Sure, Liam had gone as pale as the face of the moon and Sawyer had to put her head between her legs because she almost fainted – but after the initial shock they had asked him questions and talked it over with him, and helped him in any way he needed. They were true friends, as was Tari – which was why they needed to do whatever they could to help her.

Allen lifted the bracelet and dropped it in the water glass. "Lee, place your hands round the glass," he instructed, and the boy opposite did what he asked. Allen then muttered something, low and in a foreign language which Liam and Sawyer had no hope of understanding. No one else could see because of Liam's hands, but looking down the two Scotts could see the bracelet glowing in a golden light. Their eyes widened, but neither of them dared say anything if they tried; it was best of leave Allen to work.

The warlock fished the bracelet out the water, placing it on the side. "We need a map," he murmured.

Liam pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Here.

"Why are you giving me your phone?"

"It's an iPhone you idiot," snapped Liam. "You can get a map on it." He tapped the screen and a map of Mystic Falls appeared.

"I don't know whether it'll work-"

"_Try _it," pressed Sawyer. She reached out and squeezed his hand. "It's Tari."

Allen stared down at the phone, and then carefully tipped a drop of water on the screen, muttering words as he went. Liam adored that phone, and Allen knew he must have been praying that he didn't cover the thing in water. But he didn't show an inch of it on his face; instead he stared down at the phone. The drop of water began to move as Allen continued to mutter the words, before it finally rested on a spot a second later. Liam tapped the screen and it focussed on the area the water had hovered over, but the water only moved the tiniest amount before stopping again.

"We can't get it any more specific than that," Allen informed them. "The water only has a slight _essence _of Tari, it's not going to get any better than that-"

Sawyer leant forward, tucking her hair behind her ear. "What's in this area?"

Liam shook his head, frowning. "Not much – industrial grounds, offices and-"

"_Warehouses_," they all said at once.

**xXx **

If she hadn't felt ill before, Tari felt ill now. She couldn't even explain what had happened. The next second a hand came round her throat and the phone was knocked out of her hands. The world seemed to whirl round of her before it went completely black. She wasn't sure whether she was in a dream when she saw bright colours dance in front of her eyes or when two pairs of eyes that looked remarkably like her father's and her mother's stared down at her with concern. – but she knew she was asleep when the man, the man with no face smiled at her and lunged, knocking her down, and she was falling again, faster and faster until –

When Tari woke up she threw herself upwards, her body remembering the fear. Her head ached, particularly from behind. As she rubbed the sore point, she couldn't help but take in her surroundings: it was a dreary place, as if a shoe company would use it to store stock. She didn't take a long time to observe it, however, because she saw another person in the room.

Caleb smiled – a wolfish grin that Tari had never seen before. Her heart seized in her chest, this pain made her want to go back to sleep again. "I'm surprised," he said. His voice was soft, with an almost velvety quality to it. "I hadn't expected you to wake for – at the very least – another four or five hours. The drug usually knocks a person out for at least double that amount. How strange."

"You – you _drugged _me?" It made sense suddenly, the reason she felt so ill and why it felt her head was blocked.

He was three metres away, but Tari knew how quickly he could move. He inched slightly closer to her and she flinched, pushing herself away from him. He laughed aloud, though it didn't have any attractive quality at all; in fact it sounded like the laugh of a tiger before it was about to pounce. "Relax, little girl. I'm not going to hurt you, not yet."

"Little girl?" Even through all the pain and fear she was in, Tari still had enough pride to scoff. "You're not much older-" She caught herself before she continued. She glanced at him and saw that he was smirking, seeing that she had understood. "How old are you?"

"Ah!" he cried, clicking his finger and pointing at her. "She gets it! You see it now, see that I'm older than I look."

Tari said nothing, staring at him.

"I'm thirty three this spring. Long enough to understand the new world that I was thrown into when I was a stupid human boy at seventeen. And while it is tedious to be stuck at this age, being a vampire has improved my life."

"Oh yeah?" Tari asked. She kept her face carefully indifferent, stuck on his face while she felt for the vervain dart in her jean's pocket.

"You don't understand it," he continued. "Being a vampire opens your eyes. You control the world with one simple snap of your fingers. I can make people do _anything _I want: dance down the street in their underwear, have a threesome with me – I can even make people _kill _themselves. I don't even have to kill them."

Oh Jesus she felt ill. "Stop it," she whispered.

The smile curved on his lips, but Tari could only see it for a second before he disappeared and reappeared right in front of her. She didn't pull herself away – even if she wanted to she couldn't – but she flinched, terrified of him. He was right, after all. He may not be able to compel her, but he could snap her bones as if they were twigs. She forced herself not to think about that, because it was making her even more scared of him – and damn him, she didn't want to be scared of him.

He chuckled, and with his index finger he traced her jaw line. With all the strength she had, she forced herself to look him in the face. If he was impressed he did not show it. "What?" he whispered, smirking. "Can't you take it? Because it's the truth. You have no idea how many vampires do it. Hundreds find girls and have them..." He gestured with his hand, attempting to think of the right word. "For an innocent girl such as yourself, let's say..._dance _for them, drinking their blood all the time." He moved closer to her, his lips on her neck. For a horrifying moment she believed that he was going to bite her right then, but instead he pressed his lips against it and whispered, "Would you dance for me, little girl?"

At that suggestion Tari couldn't hold it back any longer; she lunged at him with her arm, trying to stab him with the dart. At an almost impossible speed he had her pinned to the floor, the dart spinning in a circle on floor away from them.

"Nice try," he said, his nose touching hers. In her mind, when she pictured being this close to someone, she did not think he would be threatening her, though at least she had known her heart would be attempting to leap out of her chest. He reached in her other jean's pocket and pulled the stake out, despite Tari struggling. She tried to kick at him, but she could barely lift her feet – and anyway, she doubted she would have done anything more than break her foot. He threw the stake away, so fast that Tari's eyes couldn't even follow it.

Smirking, he said, "I'll give you points for effort. But really, did you honestly think that it would work?" He laughed again; every time he laughed Tari hated him even more. "You're even more naive that I thought."

"Get off me," hissed Tari.

"Are you threatening me?" he teased, but he moved off her. Tari instantly tried to stand up, but he placed his hands on her shoulders and shoved her back down. She winced when she fell, her head crying out in pain at the sudden movement. His eyes flashed when he said, "I'd sit down if I were you."

Tari tensed, and Caleb shook his head. "I didn't want this Tari. Things could have been different. They still could."

Tari was trying to think, but she couldn't help being mesmerized by his words. "What are you talking about?"

"I wasn't going to hurt you. If you hadn't blown it, none of this would have happened. We could have been like a normal couple of teenagers." He bent down, his face once again close to hers. "We could have had _fun_."

All the blood running through her body froze, like ice.

"Now if you want to make it up to me – and save your life, by the way – then I have a few ideas on how you can make it up to me." He moved closer, his lips getting close to hers.

Tari knew _exactly _what he wanted her to do. _Hell no. _Before she could even think of what she was doing, she lifted her hand and slapped his face as hard as she could.

To her surprise it actually jerked his head to the side, catching him completely off-guard. Time seemed to freeze. He didn't move, as if he too was in shock. Tari hadn't believed that she would have had the courage to do that – or maybe it was stupidity. But it was better than what he wanted her to do.

He moved his hand over to his face, rubbing the spot where she had hit him. "That hurt."

"Good."

"No, I mean that really hurt." He stared at her, but this time it was out of curiosity – and maybe even a little amazement. "What... I mean... You're _different._"

"What," snorted Tari, "that I'm not falling over you?"

"No," snapped Caleb. She could feel his frustration. "That drug should have knocked you out, but you're awake! That slap – I shouldn't have even _felt _that slap, but I did!" He glowered at her, his blue eyes now dark as the deepest part of the ocean, the part that no one could swim in. "Who _are _you? What do you know?"

_Part vampire. _Tari hadn't even thought – did that really make her _stronger_? No, it couldn't, what other signs had there been? Besides, Tari was not going to reveal that to _him_. She wasn't even going to bring up that part of her, wasn't going to mention Stefan or Allen or Elena or her father.

Perhaps Caleb knew that, because a second later his hand was round her throat and squeezing it. Her own hands instantly lifted, nails digging in to his hand, but the vampire didn't even flinch. His eyes glowed with anger, and Tari felt another wave of fear hit her. "I don't think you understand. This can be done the easy way or the hard way. I could make your torture very long and agonising. Or you could tell me how you know about vampires."

She could barely speak, but she managed to choke out a few words. "Fuck you."

Those eyes flashed again, and he squeezed harder. She couldn't even draw a breath, and her chest cried out in pain. _Air! _

Tari heard a groan, and his grip loosen. She glanced up at him and saw his face was screwed up in pain. She didn't understand what was happening, but she knew she should take a chance when it came along. She shoved him down to the floor and began to run, not even knowing _where _she was running to, just away from him.

"_Tari!_" The girl whirled round on her heel, almost breaking her ankle in the process. There was a staircase (how had she not noticed it?) and at the top were Sawyer, Liam and Allen. The warlock didn't even look at her; he focused on Caleb.

"Get up here _now_," Liam called. To her amazement she saw him clamber down the stairs as if to get her himself.

She ran towards the stairs. "Go Liam, now! Get out of here!" She grabbed his hand when she got close enough, intending to go up the stairs with him – but instead he shoved he up and went down towards Caleb.

"_Liam!_" Sawyer and Tari's voices tangled together into one, but the boy ignored him. Pulling one of the stakes he had given to her, he ran towards Caleb.

Allen broke off with a huge gasp, his own faced screwed up in pain. He leant on the metal bar in exhaustion, but Caleb recovered much quicker. Before Liam could stab the vampire, Caleb grabbed his wrist. Liam's other hand went up in a reflex, but Caleb blocked it easily.

Tari couldn't help herself; she raced towards them, intending to tackle him or do _something_, but he flung Liam backwards so he landed on her. They fell to the floor, crying out in pain and surprise.

"Idiots," he drawled. He was smirking; in fact his expression was perfectly serious, and Tari wondered whether he was taking them seriously. "I'm a vampire. I can destroy you all in what, four seconds? A second for each of you."

"Then do it," Tari heard Liam say. She gripped his arms tightly. _Please Lee, let's get out of here_. But she knew it was impossible. Even if Liam hadn't tried to end it, if they had all tried to escape, Caleb would still have chased after them. They had known their plan was dangerous; they had all known that being injured – or being killed – was a risk.

Caleb focussed on Liam, and to their surprise he smiled. "A brave one. I must say, I am impressed. I never expected you lot were this courageous. But you know what they say: the bravest people are the stupidest."

"Better stupid than a murderer," Liam shot out bitterly. Tari wished he would stop talking, even though she wanted to say the same things to him. She wrapped her arms round him tightly, and could see that Caleb glanced at her. She didn't want to let go though, didn't dare in case Liam did something reckless.

"Caleb." Tari and Liam whipped their heads round, seeing Sawyer at the bottom of the stairs. Tari felt Liam lift up slightly, his face creased in concern. She knew him and, more than anything, he didn't want his cousin to get hurt. "Please, don't hurt them."

He raised an eyebrow, and Tari could see that he was amused. "Oh? Why not? I don't appreciate being attacked."

"I know, and we're sorry." The other three watched Sawyer as she stepped forward. Tari could see that her friend was scared; her usual confidence had evaporated, yet she took another step forward, closing the gap between Liam and Tari – and Caleb. "You have to understand though: we had to fight back. You killed innocent people; do you expect us to take it lying down?

"You don't want to do this. Killing people is wrong, and you know it. There are other ways, like using blood bags or drinking animal blood. You don't have to hurt other people. It's wrong, and you know it. It makes you feel rotten inside. You don't want to be like this: you don't want to hurt other people. You don't have to, don't you see that? There's more to life than killing: there's friendship and love. I know I sound sappy and naive, but it's true. Stop killing. Stop and we'll help you. We'll forgive you."

_Like hell I will. _Tari remembered the terror she had felt when he had his body pressed against hers, and a banging headache and marks round her neck showed that. She wasn't going to trust him for a split second.

Caleb stared at Sawyer for a few moments. Tari could feel Liam and Allen holding their breath, as well as her. Caleb burst out laughing. Not a chuckle, a hilarious, tears-in-his-eyes laughter. It was a terrifying laugh, and it only added to her fear. She quickly turned to look at Sawyer, and could see her friend was deflated. She realised that Sawyer had hoped that he would take her offer; that this could all end happily – like a fairytale.

Tari had learnt that, just like God, they didn't exist either.

"Hilarious." Caleb wiped his eyes, a grin still on his face. "My God, you don't actually believe in that crap do you?"

Liam leant forward and Tari had to let go of him. She glanced at Allen, but his eyes were on Caleb, flittering back to Sawyer. His hands were on the metal bar, gripping it so tightly that it looked painful. Tari knew that if Caleb attacked Sawyer, then Allen would hurt him. She knew enough to know he didn't want to use fire, simply because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control it. But he would do that...head thing to injure him, but again Tari knew he wouldn't be able to keep it up. Allen had explained adolescent was a time of change ("No kidding") and until he became more of an adult he wouldn't be able to control his power, at least not fully. What was the chance of them being able to take Caleb down with Allen using his powers? Not great, considering Allen wouldn't be able to hold him for very long. He'd already used his power, and it had weakened him. Tari also knew that Liam would lung for Caleb again if he went for Sawyer. Somehow she had a feeling neither attacks would be a success. _You live with three vampires for Christ sake. What are their weaknesses? _

"Wow," the vampire said, walking towards her. Tari felt Liam steady himself, ready to get to Sawyer if he needed. "You're more naive than she is." Sawyer didn't move, but she leant backwards, trying to put as much distance as she could between them without losing face. "You don't get it, do you?" he hissed. "I _like _the killing. That's the best part: seeing the fear in their eyes before you bite into their neck; giving them a little bit of hope, letting them run before you catch them again and kill them. I don't know whether it's because I'm male, but it's always more fun..." He reached forward and pushed a stray strand of hair behind Sawyer's ear, the girl trembling when he touched her. "...with girls."

"Leave her alone," said Liam, standing. Tari stood up, keeping her body behind Liam's. She felt for something in her pocket – where were her damn keys?

Caleb smirked, turning his head slightly. "Which one are you dating again? Or is this a threesome?"

"They're my friends," Liam growled. "You don't get to hurt them."

The vampire turned round, facing Liam head-on – the usual positions for a fight. "I don't think you have much of choice in that matter."

"I'll stop you," Liam vowed.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Liam, don't," Sawyer said from behind Caleb. She had her hand in her pocket, and Tari remembered with hope that she had the vervain dart and stake. _Third time's the charm. _

"It's a promise," Liam answered.

His smirk grew wider. "Oh really?" In a flash he was gone, and both Liam and Tari made a move to go to Sawyer. But the blonde was unharmed, though she did flinch when he disappeared. The three of them lifted their heads upwards.

It had happened to fast to really see what had happened; Caleb must have pushed Allen hard. The warlock, though skilled, had no time to react. They heard and painful groan when his hip went into the bar. Caleb gripped further down, snapping it. Allen, who had obviously been leaning against the bar, fell forward. He gripped it tightly, but lost his footing and ended up hanging off it.

"Leave him alone!" cried Tari. Liam had stepped forward, unsure what the best course of action was.

"I'm sorry," Caleb answered, not sounding sorry at all. "But you're the most dangerous of them all. Without you, they're just a bunch of children." He smiled wide, and gave the metal bar a strong kick. It collapsed, sending Allen tumbling down to the ground. Liam raced forward, and he managed to break Allen's fall. Thankfully there wasn't much of a distance between the ground and the balcony, so it wasn't that big of a drop. Still, Tari heard a sharp click and the two of them moaned in pain.

Relieved that they weren't hurt, she looked back to where Caleb had been, only to see that he'd gone. She heard a sharp gasp and looked to Sawyer – an arm was round her neck, pinning her head against his chest.

"Now," Caleb said calmly as Liam and Allen stumbled upwards. "How would you like her to die? If I break her neck, it's very quick and clean. There is absolutely no chance of survival, however."

"Let her go," Liam commanded.

"I wouldn't come closer," informed the vampire. "Or I'll hurt her. And," he said, going to Sawyer's hand, "I'll take this." The blonde did attempt to hold onto the dart, but Caleb was too strong. He tossed it aside as he did with the others. "At least you came prepared. Pity really, that it failed completely. Still..." He smirked at Liam, whose eyes were narrowed and body tensed. "At least there's comfort in knowing the two of you won't be separated for long-"

"No!" Liam and Allen raced forward. What they would have done if they'd been able to get there Tari would never know, for Caleb suddenly froze. Liam and Allen halted hastily when they realised his veins had appeared by his eyes and they had gone red.

His eyes went to Tari, and the other three instantly looked to her. She stood there, perfectly still. The only movement was the red blood trickling down her arm.

There was a moment of pure stillness. Caleb suddenly shoved Sawyer forward so she crashed into Liam and Allen, who hurriedly caught her. He appeared at Tari's side, gazing at her. "I see which option of death you've chosen."

Tari said nothing. What could she say?

He lifted her arm. The wound wasn't deep but there was still an impressive amount of blood. Eyes closed he sniffed it, like a little child taking an enormous whiff of his favourite meal. A second later he sank his fangs into her arm.

It was more painful than she thought it would be. Tari had known the fangs would go deep, but she didn't quite understand it until then. She didn't scream, but gasped when he sank his teeth into her. The draining of the blood simply felt strange, sending a tingle down her arm.

Allen stood up, his eyes on them. "Tari," he murmured. The other two simply stared, eyes wide. None of them were sure how to react.

Tari closed her eyes, waiting. Sure enough she heard a choking sound. Opening her eyes, she saw and felt Caleb pull away. Coughing violently, he collapsed to the floor. "Vervain," he whispered between coughs.

"I don't just wear it," Tari said, "I drink it too." She had never been more relieved that Damon had forced that herbal tea with vervain mix down her throat. Never again would she complain about it.

Sawyer and Allen seemed to be stunned; they couldn't help but stare at Caleb, as if waiting for him to leap up and attack again. Liam however, moved towards the vampire. He knelt down beside him. Caleb's eyes – for once – actually looked fearful.

"This is for all the people you tortured and killed." With those parting words, he lifted the stake he had taken from Sawyer's pocket and plunged it into his chest. Caleb choked again as it sank in, before he turned a dark shade of grey. Though his eyes were open, he was unmoving. He was dead.

None of them said anything for a long time. Maybe it was the shock, or perhaps they were all too exhausted. Tari's arm was sore and aching, and both Liam and Allen had been thoroughly knocked down and bruised. There were marks on Sawyer's neck, but other than that she was unharmed. All of them, however, were shaken to the core.

"Oh my God," Sawyer said, for the thousandth time that night. "We did it."

"I can't believe it," murmured Allen. He squared his shoulders. "I'm sorry I wasn't much help you guys."

"You were," Tari said quietly. "You got him away from me."

Liam wrapped his arm round Tari. "You okay?" he whispered.

She nodded, though her pale face contradicted it. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"That was brave," he commented.

Sawyer came forward. Her eyes were filled with tears. "You saved my life," she whispered, almost in amazement. "I can't believe you did that for me."

"You did it for me," Tari reminded her. She looked at Sawyer, then at Liam, and then landed her gaze onto Allen. "You all came after me. How did you find me?"

"It's a long story," Allen said, stepping forward. "We'll explain when we've all calmed down." He put his arm round Sawyer, who leant against him gratefully, and Liam and Allen put their arms on each other's shoulders, and Sawyer put her arm round Tari's waist. They stood in the circle, joined together as if it was a protective shield.

"I can't believe with did that," Sawyer said, breaking the silence. "We killed a vampire."

"We'll have to call Buffy and tell her she's been replaced," Liam joked. It wasn't very funny, but the other three chuckled, needing it.

Tari glanced at Caleb. Looking at his dead body, it was hard to believe she was ever attracted to him. _God, I know how to pick 'em. _"What do we do with the body?"

Allen shrugged. "Leave it?"

"Yeah, someone'll find it eventually," Liam said. "I mean, surely the police officers search this buildings, right?"

"And we don't have a car," Sawyer added. "How we will look carrying a body down the street? It won't exactly scream innocent."

Tari winced at the word _innocent_, remembering how Caleb had used it. Seeing this, Allen reached forward and squeezed her hand. "You okay?" he asked, his brown eyes staring deep into hers.

She gave him a weak smile, nodding. "Yeah. My head hurts a little." Now that she wasn't running on adrenalin, the effects of the drug were coming back. "He spiked my drink."

"That's why you felt ill?" Liam asked.

"I thought that might have been the reason you rushed outside," Sawyer said. "After all, it wasn't part of the plan."

Tari covered her eyes with her hand. "I was so stupid," she groaned.

"We all fell for it," Allen said comfortingly. "There wasn't much you could have done. If he wanted to kidnap you, he would have. I mean, let's face it, if you hadn't managed to get him to drink your blood, who knows what would have happened."

"There would have been four bodies in this warehouse," Sawyer remarked. She shook her head. "I think I'm still in shock," she confessed. "Look how close we came to being killed."

"How about next time we be responsible and let the adults deal with this?" Allen offered.

"Agreed," Sawyer and Tari said in unison.

Liam laughed, the sound echoing in the empty building. "I'll agree to it, but really, it's us. How long do you think it'll last?"

"Until we leave the building," Sawyer said, smiling a little.

"_Shit_." Three heads turned to Tari, who had gone pale again. "What time is it?" She fumbled in her pocket, remembering too late that Caleb had knocked the phone out of her hand.

Allen glanced at his watch. "Ten to eleven." Tari groaned again, beginning to pace. She looked more panicked than she had when Caleb had being attacking her. "What?"

"Damon was picking me up at ten thirty," Tari said. "I'm twenty minutes late."

Everyone was quiet, realising the dawn of a new crisis. Hanging out with Tari, they had noticed how much of a stickler Damon Salvatore was for punctuality. According to Tari, he hated it if she was even a minute late. What would he be like now?

**xXx **

_I am going to kill her. No, scratch that: I'm going to chain her to her bed so she can never leave without my permission again. Which, after this stunt, she'll never have again. _

Damon Salvatore was beginning to worry. Not panic, because it could be nothing. But he was getting close to alarm. Before Tari (and the whole Elena/Klaus/sacrifice thing) Damon hadn't had much to worry about, apart from where he would get his next hot lunch from. It came with the territory though, being a parent. He had even worried when Tari lived with Rebecca, but it had been easier to push it out of his head. Now? Now he was losing his mind.

He had driven up to the Scott house to pick Tari up at ten thirty as usual. He had hoped that she would have sitting outside waiting for him, but he wasn't surprised that she wasn't. He knew that she had probably lost track of time talking with Sawyer. So he picked up his phone to call her, but she hadn't answered.

Peeved, Damon got out the car. He had no intention of going to talk to Sawyer's parents; instead he focussed on the house, listening. He could hear two people, but neither of them were Tari, and they were murmuring gently. There were no other sounds coming from the house.

Thoroughly worried, he used his vampire speed to jump on the windowsill of Sawyer's room. Peering in he could see Tari's bag on the floor, but the room was dark and there was no movement. Praying that they were in another room, he went to all the windows of the house. Even when the curtains were closed he listened, but he could hear nothing.

They weren't inside the house.

Damon had been so furious that he had kicked the mailbox over. Not caring about the noise, he slammed the door of his precious car shut and drove away, cursing himself for letting her go and cursing her for being too wilful and cursing Rebecca for not teaching her better, and cursing God simply because he could.

Now he was heading to The Grill, because that was the only high school hang out that he could think of. He didn't know where else Tari would go except possibly the school, and he had no reason to think she would go there.

He parked his car wonky before throwing the doors of The Grill open. Scanning his eyes round the bar and listening, he could tell Tari wasn't in here. Yet...wasn't that her perfume he smelt? It was faint, but his super-scent picked it up easily.

Damon walked to the bar, catching the attention of the bar tender. He had been about to pour Damon a glass of his favourite scotch, but Damon held up his hand. "I don't suppose you saw my daughter in here did you?" In Mystic Falls, everybody knew everyone, so it was a safe bet that the bar tender would know who he meant.

"Dark hair, blue eyes?" Damon nodded, trying not to look too eager. "Yeah, she was in here."

"Just now?"

"A little while ago."

"Who was she with?" Damon demanded.

"A guy. I'm not sure who he was."

"Allen Bennett? Liam Scott?"

"They were in here too, and Sawyer," the bartender said helpfully.

Damon leant against the bar, his mind whirling. She had lied to him. He shouldn't have been so shocked about it, but he was. He had _believed _her. He felt like a fool, and that made him even more furious. When he got his hands on Tari... "Did you see where they went?"

"Just out those doors," he said, pointing to the ones he'd just entered.

Damon thanked him and walked outside. He listened intently, trying to determine whether he could hear them. But there were too many cars, too much music blaring and crowds hanging about. Cursing, he attempted to call her again. It was ringing, she just wasn't answering. _Is she _ignoring _me? _Damon wondered, feeling his fury increase. Oh yes, he really was going to kill her when he found her.

That's when he noticed that he could hear the ringing wasn't coming through the phone.

He swivelled round, looking down an ally. He could already tell that no one was down there, and he couldn't smell any blood. Yet if he had a heart, he would be sure that it would be pounding in her ears right now. Something was wrong. Slowly he stepped forwards, following the noise of the ringing. Finally he stopped, his blue eyes scanning the ground, landing on something silver. Cautiously he picked it up. He had recognised the second he his eyes had landed on it, but he was still praying, still hoping... He flipped the top open and the name MISSED CALL: DAMON (2) flashed in front of his eyes.

Tari would never go anywhere without her cell phone. It was surgically attached to her hip, and Damon encouraged that, wanting to be able to reach her when he needed to. It was usually in mint condition, but now the screen had a huge crack over it.

Oh God no.

Damon made a call to Stefan, who picked up on the first ring. "Where the hell are you?" his brother asked.

"Shut up and listen: I can't find Tari. She's not at the house and I just found her phone. Something's wrong Stefan."

"What do you need?" Stefan asked, his brother useful for once. He could hear Elena in the background talking, wanting to know what was going on.

"One of you needs to stay at home in case she comes back, the other needs to help me search the area. I'm going to start from The Grill and go outwards; you start from the outskirts and come inwards."

"Okay, I'll call you if I find anything."

"Thanks Stef." He hung up and looked round, the enormity of the search hitting him. But he had to find Tari. For all he knew she could be fine, sneaking back inside the house – but she could be injured, or in hospital, or... And he couldn't bear that thought.

**xXx **

"Does it hurt?" Allen asked.

"A little," Tari admitted. Her eyes were on her arm. It looked horrific. Previously there had been blood all down her arm – it looked like something out of horror film. No matter what, Allen had pointed out, she couldn't go home like that; after all, it really did look as if she had been mauled by an animal. So they all made their way back to Sawyer's. The girl had gone into his parent's room to inform them that Liam and Allen were with her and they were sleeping over; their response, according to Sawyer, had been a tired _whatever_.

Now they had all squeezed into the bathroom, Tari sitting on the toilet, Allen pressed up against the cupboards, and Sawyer and Liam sitting on the side of the bath. Tari had washed her arm and was now examining it. It looked better now blood was dripping out of it, but you could the bite mark clearly, not to mention the other big wound that the key had made – after all, she'd had to stab fairly deeply to draw blood.

"Can you pass me the bandage?" Tari asked Allen, and he handed it to her.

"How are you going to hide that from your dad?" asked Liam. He had taken off his shoes and socks, throwing them in the living room. Most people would have found that rude, but Tari liked how Liam treated Sawyer's home like his home – there was perhaps something bold about that.

Tari sighed. "I have no idea. I'm also a little worried about when it comes off. It's not much of a problem now, but in the summer I'm going to be wearing short sleeves, and this will definitely scar. Not that I'm bothered about that – I like scars, they show that you've gone through hardship and survived. But how on earth will I explain this to Damon? He doesn't miss a thing, and he'll definitely question me about it."

"You could always tell him," suggested Allen.

Liam, Sawyer and Tari all stared at him with faces that might as well as been signposts pointing the way to the metal institute.

"Or not."

"He'd kill me if he knew what I'd do. C'mon, wouldn't your mom?" she asked Allen.

He sighed. "Alright, point taken."

"We'll think of something," Sawyer said with a smile. Her hair was pinned in a ponytail, her face wiped clean of any make up. "That bandage should stay on for a while. But you're going to need to tell him something that'll match the wound."

"No," said Liam suddenly. "Don't tell him. Hide it – no, say that you scratched your arm and that's why the bandage is on. When it comes off and he sees the scar, you can say you injured yourself in New York. Say that some little kid stuck a knife in your arm, or something like that. Problem solved."

"You think he'll fall for that?" Tari said doubtfully. "He seems to have every little detail about me memorised."

"Just make sure it's healed completely," Allen said, warming to the idea. "Then he just won't have noticed it."

"It's probably a good thing," added Sawyer. "I bet he's probably seen a hundred of vampire bites. If it's scarred than there's a better chance of him not recognising it."

Tari sighed in relief, glad that they'd solved the problem. It had been one of many tonight, and she couldn't have been more pleased that it was ending. She was praying that she would be able to get her confrontation with Damon out of the way as fast as she could, because right now all she wanted to do was go to bed. Yes, she had to admit she was feeling a little smug now that it was all over, that they had actually succeeded in killing a vampire – and a cruel one at that – but she had also lost blood (albeit a little bit) and had been drugged, not to mention was probably still a little in shock. They all were.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here?" Sawyer asked. "It would be nice if we could all be together. My parents wouldn't mind."

"But mine would," Tari replied. She smiled at her friend. "Thanks for the offer, but even if I did decide to stay, I have no way of telling Damon that, not without my mobile."

"Don't you know your home number?"

"Yeah, the one back in New York." What good was that to her now? After they had cleared everything away, Damon had put the apartment up for sale. It was large and in a good area, and a group of students had snapped it up after two weeks. Damon had only told her when he had signed the contracts and the deal was done. He had mentioned it casually, as if it was no big deal. But Tari had been livid. She knew that it was stupid; after all, it would have to be sold at some point. But she had lived in that apartment since she was a baby, and had even daydreamed about going back to New York for college and living there – and he had sold it without even letting her know it was being put up for sale. It was as if he wanted to sweep any memory of her mother under the rug.

She checked the bandage in the mirror. _That's about as good as it's going to get. _"I should get going," she said. She moved into Sawyer's room, the others following in her wake. "The longer I make Damon worry the more punishment I'm going to get."

"Do you want us to walk with you?" Liam asked, and Tari had to hide a smile. Always the protector.

"I'll be fine," she said. "We killed Caleb – it's safe again." She wasn't sure whether she believed that, but she didn't want the others to be scared.

Sawyer hugged her. "Thanks for saving my life," she whispered.

Tari held her tightly. "Thanks for saving mine."

Liam and Allen hugged her, Allen asking, "Are you sure?" She nodded.

Once she was outside, she walked on the pavement until the house was out of sight, and then stopped. She didn't want to say it to the others, but she had wanted to be alone, to sort out in her head what had happened.

It was in that moment that she realised that she alone. At night. How long had it been since she had been on her own at night? She couldn't remember. Damon was especially protective about her going out at night, and – she grudgingly admitted – with good reason. In consequence she hadn't been out at night for ages, not alone.

Tari felt fear grip her, and wrapped her jacket round her tightly. She was afraid, and she hadn't expected to be. After all, she now knew what the darkness held, what came out to play at night. It was one thing to be comforted by the darkness when she was in the house by the fire with a cup of coco, but this was different: out here she could actually be hurt.

_Stop it_, she told herself firmly. She couldn't be scared of the dark her entire life. Half the day was taken up by darkness, which meant half the day she would have to be inside. Besides, with vampires around no one could ever be truly safe. There was no point hiding away.

She began to walk, taking herself to the boarding house. Each step felt like a victory for her, and as she continued she began to feel calm again. It felt so good to be truly alone for once, to not have anyone watching her. She craned her neck to the sky, and saw what looked like a thousand twinkling diamonds in the sky. This was perhaps one of the few things Mystic Falls had that New York didn't: in New York there was so much going on, some many bright neon lights and tall building, that it was hard to see the stars; but in Mystic Falls – when the skies were clear – you could see the millions of stars. It was amazing, how you could see another world and by so far away from it.

She couldn't believe what she had done – what _they _had done. They had killed Caleb. If she was honest, truly honest, she didn't feel sorry. In no way did she feel guilty about his death. For God's sake, she thought he was going to kill her, or forced himself on her. And Sawyer had given him a chance to stop. In that moment he could have redeemed himself. But he had laughed in her face, not to mention tried to kill her. Liam was the only one who hadn't had his life threatened by Caleb, at least not personally (save for being thrown to the ground, and on people – Tari already ached, and she knew it would be worse in the morning); he had almost squeezed her throat closed, broken Sawyer's neck and allowed Allen to fall to his death. It was either their lives or his, and Tari knew which one she would pick.

It had been a stupid idea, Tari realised that now. If she had told Damon it would have been sorted in five minutes, if that. Yet... It had felt good, fighting back. Ever since she had been attacked by that vampire when she had attempted to run away to New York, it had gnawed at her. There was that fear that she was this weak little girl, a girl that couldn't defend herself. But she _had_. She had fought him, slapped his face when he had tried to kiss her. He even admitted that it _hurt_. She walked with more confidence, feeling a rush of boldness.

So she couldn't explain why she paused. She had taken the short cut through the park, which admittedly wasn't a good route in the dark, but it took her half the time to get to the boarding house. It was a beautiful night, the green grass a dark blue, and she even thought she heard an owl. And yet she didn't like this feeling that she had. Now there were no sounds, no animals making a noise. Tari tensed, even though her mind was telling it was just her imagination. And yet was it ever her imagination in Mystic Falls? After all it seemed like it was the vampire capital.

Behind him she heard a rustle and she spun round so fast she was almost dizzy. She was brought back to earth when she felt two hands grip her shoulders.

Damon's eyes were smouldering as he looked at her. "Where the _fuck _have you been?"

Tari had known this was coming, but it didn't make it any easier to bear. "I'm sorry-"

"You're sorry? You're _sorry?_" He shook her so hard it felt as if her bones were still shaking afterwards. "Do you have _any _idea how worried I was? I didn't know what the hell happened to you. I've been searching half the town looking for you and Stefan the other half. I was ready to get the sheriff to help me look, it was that serious. So I hope that you have an absolutely _brilliant _excuse for leaving the house, putting yourself in danger and putting me through hell."

Tari hated the look on his face; she could tell that he was fuming. "We were doing homework when Liam called. He wanted to get something from Sawyer-"

"What?" Damon demanded, his grip like a vice on her shoulders.

Tari had learnt a while ago that, when lying, it was best to be as vague as possible. "A book of some sort, I don't know. He really wanted it and we only meant to stay for a minute, but then..." _Stick as close to the truth as you can. People talk, remember? _"This guy started flirting with us, and Sawyer wanted to stick around, so we played a few games of pool. But he started getting...I don't know, pushy, so we left in the end. We just lost track of time." Damon wasn't happy, she could tell, but he was beginning to calm down. "I'm really sorry. But I didn't mean to leave the house-"

"And what about your phone?"

"I didn't realise I didn't have it until I got to Sawyer's," Tari said sheepishly, lying again. _Why don't they tattoo the word _liar _on my forehead? _

Finally he took his hands off her. "I'm not happy," he said. "You know that you weren't meant to leave Sawyer's house. You had me worried out of my _mind_. I didn't know what the hell had happened to you."

"I'm sorry-"

"Grounded," Damon cut in. "Two weeks. And since you're in the house I can expect you to help out with the chores."

Tari wanted to protect – for God's sake, the vampires could clean the entire house in three seconds – but she kept her lips pressed shut. She knew it would do no good to argue with him. Besides, she was still lying even now – it was no more than she deserved.

**xXx**

When Tari got home she went straight to bed. She had never been more exhausted in her entire life. She purposely but on her flannel pyjamas, the ones with the long sleeves so the bandage would be hidden. It still hurt a little, so she took some painkillers to make sure it didn't wake her in the night, even though she wasn't a big fan of drugs right now. She fell into a deep sleep a minute after she hit the pillow.

Downstairs Damon was still annoyed. He was pacing up and down, Elena watching him half in amusement.

"I can't believe she did that," Damon growled. "She _knew _that she wasn't meant to leave Sawyer's house; I made _sure _she knew not to. You were there. But she did it anyway. Why can't she just do what she's told?"

"I'm sorry," Elena said, flipping her hair out of her face. "Are you serious?" At this blank look, she couldn't help but smile. "You never do what you're told."

"I'm over a hundred and fifty years old. I can do what I want. Plus I'm a vampire – it stands to reason that whatever I do I can get out of it easily enough. If she had run into that vampire, who knows what might have happened?"

"I told you Damon, you can't cover her in bubble wrap and not expect her to struggle."

"Where do you find these metaphors?"

"You know what I mean." Elena got a blood bag out the fridge, sipping the straw. "Look, everything worked out fine. Tari's back home and safe. Nothing happened. It was just some childish fun – she's fourteen, she's allowed to have some fun. Do you remember? Before you were a parent you used to do nothing but have fun."

"_Before _being the operative word," argued Damon. "I _am _a parent. I have to be strict on this, at least until this vampire is caught. I'll rest easier at night knowing that he or she is dead."

The front door opened and Stefan blurred into the kitchen. "Hey," he said, kissing Elena. He wrapped an arm round her before focussing on Damon. "So she's okay?"

"Yeah," Damon sighed. "She's fine. It was just a stupid adolescent spur-of-the-moment thing. Y'know, like Elena used to do."

"Nah, it was just a thoughtless act. Remember, like Damon used to do?" Elena shot back, a teasing smile on her face. Before he left he threw a pillow at her head, which she dodged.

He listened at Tari's door before quietly opening it. The girl was fast asleep, curled up in bed. Her hair was thrown off her face, showing her peaceful expression. She looked so sweet when she was asleep. It had been better when she was a baby, when she couldn't argue or talk at all; when he knew that she wouldn't wander off.

"_And the number for my mother is on the fridge, but please don't call her unless my sister is unavailable or I'll never hear the end of it-"_

"_I'm a vampire," I say, barely paying any attention to Rebecca (at least at the moment). Rebecca is absolutely stunning, but right now I'm looking at a girl that is perhaps even prettier than her. I lift Tari out of the playpen. Her hair is starting is to grow, a dark colour. I can't tell whether her colour is going to be more like Rebecca's or mine. Her eyes though, they are as light as the moon, like mine. "I think I can handle babysitting for a few hours." _

"_Please, she's your daughter – she could give you a run for her money." She tucked her hair behind her ear, spinning round to face Damon. "How do I look?" _

_Stunning as usual, but she's put a special effort into it tonight. She's going on a date (and yes, I'm ready to hunt this guy down a painfully pluck his balls off; they must be big for asking a girl as beautiful as Rebecca) for the first time since she had Tari. Her dark brown hair is cut short, but she's curled it so it frames her face perfectly. She's wearing a short black dress (too short; I want to act like the father I am and tell her to put something longer on) with tall high heels and a cute black shrug. Her breasts are almost bursting out her dress. I shrug. "I would do you." _

_She smiles sarcastically. "Aren't I a lucky girl?" She picks up her handbag. "So you're all set?" _

"_I'm fine," I say. "No, scratch that, _we're_ fine." I kiss her noise and she lets out a giggle. "She's beautiful, isn't she? Then again, look at her father." _

"_Yeah, it's a good thing that she takes after her mother." She doesn't look at me, instead she strokes Tari's head. "Alright sweetie, I'll be home some. Ignore whatever your father says." She turns, for once focussing on me. "Take good care of my daughter, or I swear I will hurt you, vampire or no vampire." _

"_Have a good time," I say as she kisses me on the cheek. "Don't do anything I wouldn't." _

_She gives a laugh. "Which means I can do pretty much whatever I want." _

_The door closes loudly, and I give a sigh. "If only your mother was ugly," I say. I turn to my daughter, and as usual I forget about the rest of the world. I know that she's an ordinary baby, same as every other one, but... I know it must be my love colouring her beauty, but I can't help but feel my dead heart give a twinge when I look at her. Seriously, she must be the most beautiful baby alive. Curious she takes my finger, playing with them (while I watch her impossibly tiny fingers). She sticks one in her mouth. I read somewhere that babies learn through putting things in their mouths (I've read enough baby books that I'm an expert). Once I learnt this I called Rebecca and told her that she had to clean everything; she informed me that it was two in the morning and she barely had enough sleep as it was. I ended up coming down and having to do it myself. _

_I try to keep my adoration of him to a minimum when Rebecca is around, but when she's not sometimes I just put her in the crib and watch her. She's independent, I can tell. She doesn't reach out for me instantly like some babies do, but lifts her feet and sticks it in her mouth. It's amazing how flexible she is. I lie on the floor and bounce her up and down on my belly. She laughs and by God it is such a wonderful sound. What would the world be like without a child's laughter? I never made it through _Children of Men _– it was too depressing, which proves my point. _

_It's amazing, how I'm changing. Years ago I would have been bored out of my mind; but now I am content to spend an evening with my daughter. Rebecca's love, however fleeting, has changed me. _

_I try not to think about Rebecca's love. If I don't think about it, I can make my heart believe that I'm okay. _

_Rebecca has left me strict instructions to put her to bed by seven and to not bother her if she whimpers. The second I leave the room she starts to cry. I last two minutes. Yes, a pathetic two minutes before I have to enter the room and comfort my girl. "Shh," I murmur, rocking her. "It's alright baby girl. Daddy's here." _

_She soothes after a few minutes, but I don't want to leave her again. I sit in a rocking chair that Rebecca has put beside the crib and hold her close to me. I feel so protective of her, I can't even describe it. I've already told Rebecca that she is not allowed to have a boyfriend until she's eighteen; I also said that if a guy hurt her I'd kill him. Rebecca laughed when I said it, but she saw the look on my face and I think she knows I'm serious. Which I am. No one is going to hurt my baby girl. _

_I must have dozed off, because when I wake up Rebecca is in the bedroom. "Hey," she whispers. She tries to take Tari out of my arms, but I pull her closer to me. _

"_It's okay," I say, standing. "I'll put her to bed." I put her in the bed, moving my arms away slowly. She's in a deep sleep though, and doesn't stir. _

_Rebecca and I watch our baby sleep. I am fascinated by the way she moves in her sleep, and I wish I knew what she was dreaming. I find it strangely amazing, looking at a baby – they have their whole lives ahead of them. Right now nothing is wrong with her; she has no regrets, she has no painful memories. I wish I had some baby pictures of myself, just to see whether I looked like Tari does. _

"_She's beautiful," Rebecca says. Her voice echoes the amazement that I feel. _

_I move my hand down, stroking her head. She flexes in her sleep, but doesn't cry. I don't look at Rebecca when I ask, "How was your date?" It hurts my throat just to ask that. _

"_Fine. I had a steak." She begins to walk away and I turn my head. I can hear something in her voice. I know Rebecca better than I know myself, and I know that tone of voice. _

"_Rebecca," I call softly, not wanting to wake Tari. She turns, half her face hidden in darkness. "What was wrong with him?" _

_To my surprise I see tears glittering in the one eye I can see. "He was perfect," she whispers. "That was the problem." _

_As she moves away I see something glitter on her wrist. I can't believe how I didn't notice it: she was wearing my heart on her sleeve the entire time. _

**xXx **

"I'm sorry," she said. He wasn't looking at her but out the window, and this was how she knew that he was angry. She braced herself for the attack, knowing that something was going to happen. "Damon got there too fast. There was no time to have gotten to her-"

Before she knew it he had punched her in the stomach. It felt as if she had torn something inside it. Gasping, she collapsed onto the floor, the breath leaving her body. It felt like flames were burning in her stomach.

"Yes," he said without looking at her. "You should be sorry. You let her slip through your fingers. It's bad enough that Caleb did not hold to his promise, though let's face it, that was a long shot anyway. He was too young to listen. But _you_... You are experienced. You should have been able to catch her. She's more or less human – she wouldn't be able to stand against you. And yet somehow Damon Salvatore gets there before you do, even though you could have taken her in the blink of an eye."

She didn't say anything. There was no point.

His voice grew soft, and she felt him lift her shirt off her body. "I know how you can make it up to me."

She closed her eyes, forcing herself numb. She felt him lift her up, take her to bed and begin to undress her. He planted kisses on her neck, biting it every now and then. She didn't even allow herself to flinch; instead she took her mind far away, to a happier time, one where she was happy and in love. Her mind was a million miles away when he pulled her legs apart and entered her.

**xXx **

Damon was woken up by a phone call. A few minutes later he was in the car, driving across town. When he arrived at the warehouse it was already cornered off as a crime scene, with a few of Liz's must trusted deputies. He could see Liz standing in front of police tape, staring down at something. He already knew what she was looking at as he crossed the room towards her.

"Male vampire," Liz said, though it was obvious. "He doesn't have a wallet so there's no chance of ID. He died, being stabbed in the chest with a stake."

Damon studied the face of the vampire. He didn't recognise him, but then why would he? A person didn't usually have a grey face. "Who killed him?"

Liz glanced at him. "You don't know?"

"No, who?"

"No, I thought _you _had done it. Or maybe Alaric or Stefan, I don't know. I don't know who killed him."

"They would have told me," Damon answered, staring at the body again. _This is 2009 all over again. This is wrong; vampires are appearing again, and other people are killing them – people that I don't know. _He could feel his frustration growing. This was _his _town, back in 1864 and since 2009, though really this had always been his home – he couldn't deny it. He didn't like people messing round with _his _town.

"You're taking care of the body?" Damon asked Liz.

"Of course," Liz replied, looking a little surprised at his briskness. "We're not going to put out a story of course. We're just going to get rid of the body and pretend like nothing ever happened."

"Thanks," he said before turning round, walking outside.

"Where are you going?" she called after him.

"Look around the town," Damon informed her. "I want to see if there's anything that I'm missing."

He went to the square, right in the middle of the town. He sat on a bench, watching as the townspeople went about their business. Most of them were shopping, trying to get up early before the people who slept late came into town. He used his ears, listening. But what was he looking for? There were no damn signs, no suspicious hooded character walking round with a shopping cart of blood bags, no warrior with stakes strapped to his chest. Someone was here, interfering with events. Damon wanted to be in charge, and with someone in the background – even if they were solving problems – set his teeth on edge. He didn't like being kept in the dark.

He heard someone walk up beside him, glancing out the corner of his eye. "What do you want?"

Bonnie sat next to him, albeit on the edge of the seat. "To ask you what happened last night?"

He focussed on her. "Well, I took a bath, watched television and hunted a soccer mom down-"

"But something else happened Damon," Bonnie pressed. "Where was Tari?"

He sent her a dark look; he didn't like Bonnie talking about Tari. "What are you talking about? What does this have to do with Tari?"

"Allen came home this morning after sleeping at Sawyer's house."

_Allen was at Sawyer's? Tari didn't mention that._

If Bonnie noticed that he was shocked, she didn't let on she knew. "When he came home, he was stiff, as if he'd been exercising too hard or something. And I was sorting through his clothes, and there was blood on it. I asked Allen what happened last night, but he just said he'd had an ordinary time at Sawyer's – ordering Chinese food, watching a movie, that sort of thing. But..."

"You thought he was lying," finished Damon.

Bonnie nodded. If there was one thing she and Damon could share – and perhaps the only thing – it was the paranoia about their children. Knowing that the supernatural world existed, it changed the way parents looked after their kids. "I did. So I tested the blood, using a spell. And I couldn't identify it. It was _like _human blood, but a little different. Like a combination."

Damon leant forward on his elbow. "Are you saying Tari's blood isn't human?" At that moment he wasn't thinking about what had happened that night or the possible implications. He was a little ashamed to admit that he was worrying that if Tari injured herself and required a blood transfusion or something like that, where would she get it from? He didn't think he would be able to give her some of his blood, unless he healed her – and who's to say that would even work? _One more thing to worry about. _

"It doesn't look like it," Bonnie said briefly. "But why was she bleeding?"

Damon bit his lip. "I don't know."

"It was fresh."

He tilted his head to the sky, squinting at the cool sun. "This morning we found a vampire. It had been staked."

Bonnie's brow furrowed. "So? What does this-" She cut off when she realised what she thought he was saying. "No! I know they have abilities and – but they wouldn't do something as stupid as to confront of vampire themselves."

The vampire turned to witch. "You sure about that?"

The answer was clear on her face.

**xXx **

He was remarkably calm, considering what was going through his mind, when he entered the boarding house. Sounds were coming from the kitchen, so he made his way there. Tari's hair was fastened back in a tight ponytail, her sleeves pulled back as she began washing the dishes. They had no dishwasher considering that, before Tari, they had all either drank animal blood or blood bags. Her iPod in, she was blissfully unaware of him standing at the counter watching her. She looked like she was okay; didn't look like she was injured in any way.

He closed his eyes, trying to silent as he took a deep breath. It was faint, extremely faint, but he _thought_... Was it dried blood? Or was he just imagining it?

He opened his eyes the same time Tari turned around. She smiled at him, one that was so innocent that he almost felt bad – almost, but until he was sure...

"Hey," she said. "Where were you this morning?"

"I was called into town. They found a body of a vampire." He watched her carefully for signs.

"That's great!" she said with a grin. "At least now I can go out again – that is, when my grounding is finished."

She was being good about this. Too good. It wasn't like her.

"I thought I would clean the dishes..." She stopped, realising that he was looking at her. Her gut twisted; she didn't like the way he was looking at her. "You're not still mad at me, are you?"

Deliberate slow, he walked towards her. Instinctively she tensed, even though she knew it was stupid; Damon wouldn't hurt her. Yet she could see how people could be terrified of him, when he approached her that way. She forced herself to be calm, though it didn't quite work. She didn't understand; why the hell was he looking at her like that?

He raised his hands, moving them down her arms. The way he was doing it... It was like he was taking his time, _looking _for something. Her chest felt like there was a knot inside it, stopping her heart from beating.

He lifted her sleeves up, the bandage revealing itself. Tari knew not to panic, not to try and stop him. She could still get away with it.

"What's that?" he asked, keeping his voice carefully calm.

"A bandage," Tari answered, playing along. They were both keeping their faces and emotions in check, not willing to be the first to give in.

"Covering?"

"A scratch."

Damon didn't bother to ask when she got it. Instead he ran his hands down it, observing her face. Looking him in the eye, Tari forced herself to betray no pain as him skimmed the sore wound. "Show me."

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

She jerked herself away from him, freeing her arm. Turning away she said, "You're being ridiculous-"

Before she could finish he appeared in front of her, pushing her against the counter. She cried out slightly as she hit her lower back against it – her body was already a little sore, this would hurt even more. She gazed at Damon, seeing him in a new light; he had never been this rough with her before.

He grabbed her arm, going for the bandage; she jerked it away from him. With another sharp look, he pulled it back. She watched as he tore the bandage from her arm as if it was nothing. The injury didn't look too bad – not like it had last night. Yet she had to admit it didn't look good: there were three holes, two of them obviously different from the first one. The first one was larger, whereas the other two were parallel – a clear sign of a vampire bite.

She heard him draw his breath, cringing as he did so. His face finally began to show his anger, his lips tightening and his grip on her arm increasing. Damon's eyes went black, like the dark side of the moon.

_Shit. _


	16. Eye of the Storm

**As I'm writing this chapter there is a thunderstorm. Life's funny like that. I love thunderstorms too, at least when you're not out in there. The lightning was so bright that it almost hurt my eyes, and the thunder is so loud! It's right above us.**

**I also fell on my ankle today, and it is killing me. I seem to have a weakness in my right ankle; I keep going down on it. But this time I thought I heard crack this time, and it's been very painful. I kills to walk on it. But on the plus side I think I may be bed-ridden, so I'll probably write a lot more and a lot faster.**

**So here's the next chapter – in record time I might add! But I really do love this story, and I have more and more ideas coming every now and then – at the beginning of the next chapter will be my latest brainwave. Please enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill or any of the characters; exceptions are Tari, Liam, Allen, Rebecca, Mr Herman and Mrs Kennedy (latter will come more into the story in later chapters) **

**xXx**

**Chapter Fourteen **

**Eye of the Storm **

Tari had seen Damon mad – of course she had. With her stubbornness and his pride, it was inevitable really. She had seen his quiet fury, his snappy comments, his frustrated moments – she had seen every side of him. Well, she thought she had. But she had never seen Damon truly _lose _it – not until now. Now though, he was utterly terrifying; worse than last night when he had found her. Now he was inconsolable. Volcanic. A tidal wave. An avalanche. And she was the landing spot, in hitting distance. She had never seen anyone this..._tempestuous _before. Even in their worst fights, her mother had never been like this. But anyone who truly knows Damon Salvatore knows that he is like the wind: unpredictable, unique, unstoppable. There is no way to hide from it. When she finally admitted (how could she deny it now?) that she had killed the vampire, she unleashed the savage rage inside him.

"What the _hell _were you thinking?" he roared. She could not move, not just because he had her pinned against the counter. She was literally scared stiff. She couldn't move if she wanted to. "Taking on a vampire? _A vampire? _Have you not been listening to me _at all_? Do you have _any idea _what could have happened to you? This-" he pulled her arm upwards, the wound like a brand of the disobedient. "-is barely anything! He could have _killed _you! You think you know everything? Or at least that you know _enough_? You've seen _nothing_. You cannot even begin to contemplate what vampires can do. Did you even consider what would have happened if you have died?"

_Did you ever think about me? Did you ever consider what it would have done to me if you had died? Don't you know what losing your mother has _done _to me? _

"What was the point?" he demanded, his voice still loud. "Why did you have to take him down yourself? Why the _fuck _couldn't you have told me?"

"Because," she said. She wished she sounded braver, but her voice was weak with fear.

"Because _why_?" Damon spat out. If it had been any other time he would have laughed; they sounded like children.

But she was a child. A stupid little girl that didn't understand the consequences of her actions.

Tari didn't think so though. That was the problem.

She lifted her chin. "I wasn't going to be scared of him," she informed him.

For a second Damon was utterly speechless. His rage grew inside him at that answer. "_Why not? _Why can't you be afraid of them? They can _kill you_. Why shouldn't you fucking be afraid of them?"

"'Fear is the cause of all evil'," she quoted, to which Damon snorted. "It's a weakness, to be afraid. I wasn't going to be scared of him." Having a rare chance for her case to be heard, she added, "I wasn't even sure that he was a vampire. What was the point-"

"The _point?_" snarled Damon. "The point was your life, Tari." He pushed himself away from the counter, finally realising her. His anger was simmering under his skin, just waiting for another excuse to appear. "You're grounded for three weeks, confined to your room. No laptop and once you get your new phone you'll only have it when you're out of the house." He turned back to her, and she had to force her not to flinch away; his eyes seemed darker. "I swear if you come out of your room I will chain you to the bed."

Tari returned his gaze, despite how difficult it was. She couldn't say anything – not when he was in this mood. So she simply pushed away from him and walked away, upstairs and slamming the door shut.

Damon continued to pace in the kitchen, gritting his teeth together. In a flash of anger he threw a glass to the wall. Upstairs Tari heard it smash and a shiver worked its down her spine.

She had been brave downstairs, when he had been screaming like a banshee at her. But it had shaken her up far more than she was willing to admit. She shut the door of her bathroom, and once locked slid down to the floor against it. Tears began to cloud her vision and she felt her chest ache, wanting to sob. Furious with herself for crying, she wiped her eyes.

_It's okay. He's just scared. _

That's what her mother would have said. She would have told her that her father loved her deeply and tell some story about how he treasured her when she was a baby and couldn't bear to let her cry. She would say that he was terrified that she got hurt and that's why he got mad. He'd calm down soon.

Tari didn't know about that.

**xXx**

It was a miserable weekend. Tari and Damon didn't speak to each other. It was easy considering Tari was banished to her room. Elena and Stefan were walking on eggshells, sensing their bad moods.

"It's crazy," Elena hissed to Stefan when they were curled up in bed together. "If either one of them would just admit they were _wrong_ – or that they were sorry then this would be over in a minute. But they're as stubborn as each other. Who knows how long this fight will last?" She placed her head on Stefan's shoulder comfortingly. "Someone should tell them that they're being idiots-"

Stefan whirled her round. "Please Elena," he begged, his eyes pleading. "Whatever you do, don't get involved. The last thing we need is another person's opinion."

"I just feel bad for Tari," Elena said. She pulled away from her husband, her eyes narrowing accusingly at him. "I remember what it was like, back to the time of Klaus, when you and Damon were so damn protective of me. You were trying to control me because you thought that I was making stupid decisions-"

"You tried to sacrifice yourself," Stefan pointed out, a little exasperatedly. They had fought over this often enough.

"To protect my friends and family," argued Elena.

"And look what would have happened," he said. He kissed her shoulder, moving upwards to her neck. "Did you really want to miss these sixteen years?"

She smiled widely, kissing him back. "I guess not."

In bed together was the only time they could have that was peaceful, or where they could laugh. The Salvatore house was as grim as a graveyard. Damon went out to the bar in the evening without fail, but even then Tari didn't dare leave the bedroom. She wasn't sure whether Damon would make good on his threat on chaining her to the bed, but she wasn't about to test him; the look in his eyes scared her, even now.

They ignored each other all weekend, not talking once. There was a stony silence at dinner, no one having the courage to talk – or rather, the suicidal tendency. The weather seemed to match the mood: there was on and off lightening storms, pouring rain and horrendous winds. In reflection Tari believed it was a good weekend to be grounded – she wouldn't have liked to go outside. It hadn't let up on Monday morning, when the rain was coming down in sheets. Tari didn't even bother making an effort with her hair; it would just get blown out of place in the wind.

Damon entered her bedroom without knocking; a sign that he was annoyed at her. "You'd better get undressed," he told her, a malicious glint in his eye. "You're not going to school today."

It was the first time she had heard his voice since Saturday. She folded her arms, facing him. "Yeah I am. I'm not staying in this house any longer." She lifted her bag from the chair and threw on her jacket.

She made a move to go past Damon, but he grabbed her arm. The grasp on it was just a little painful, though she made sure not to show it. He wasn't looking at her when he gritted out, "Don't even think about walking out that door."

"It's nearly the end of the semester; I have tests. If I don't go in now it'll put me back until next semester and distract from my other courses."

"And I care because?"

"Look, I'm going whether you like it or not," Tari snapped. "You can either drive me or walk. But I'm not missing a day to see my friends." She yanked her hand away from him, heading towards the door. She could hear him growl threateningly, but when she got outside she could feel him following her.

They drove in silence. It was probably a good thing: the roads were a nightmare. Even though there weren't many cars on the road the wind was blowing hard, along with the torrent of rain that pounded the car roof. It sounded like it was stones instead of water.

Damon pulled up in front of the school. She went to open the door, finding it locked. Tari turned to Damon, raising an eyebrow. "Well? Are you planning to keep me in here instead? Put me in a smaller prison?"

"Cut it out Tari," Damon snapped. "You're in the wrong here, not me."

She couldn't argue with that. "Yes, fine, I was wrong. I shouldn't have confronted the vampire. But I'm glad I did. And you know what?" She saw Damon's face harden slightly. "I'd do it again."

He leaned back in the seat. "And you're trying to convince me to let you go?"

"I have a place to be," she pointed out.

"Tari just come home," Damon said. "This weather is terrible – it's dangerous."

"I survived a vampire; I think I can deal with a bit of rain."

"This storm's meant to get worse, not better."

"Other kids are going into school," Tari pointed out. "If it's safe for them, it's safe for me."

"No it isn't. You're my daughter; there's a different criteria for you."

"Lucky me," muttered Tari.

"Just do what I say, okay?" Damon said. "Is that so hard?"

"Yeah, it is." Ah sweet success: she had finally managed to pull the lock of the door up. She threw it open. "I'm my own person and, more importantly, I'm your daughter. I don't do what I'm told." She jumped out the car.

"Tari!" snapped Damon, so sharp that she paused to look at him. He lifted something out his pocket and handed a new phone to her. Silently she took it, slamming the door without as much as a word of thanks.

Damon gripped the steering wheel hard, debating on whether to go after her. She was being such a _bitch_. Right now he wanted to ring her neck in the safety of the boarding house. He adored her, he did, but she had the ability to drive him up the wall – or rather, into it. When they got on, everything was perfect; but when they were fighting it was like World War III. _If only she would just listen to me! _

He watched as she entered the building, and then started the car. The last time there had been a storm this bad in Mystic Falls Stefan had been kidnapped and Vicki's body had been discovered.

He hoped that wasn't an omen.

**xXx **

"You're late," Liam informed her as Tari approached the lockers.

"In this weather?" Tari said, matching his position. "You're lucky I'm here at all." She noted that it was only Liam at their lockers, the usual meeting place. "Where're the others?"

"Late," Liam replied. "Sawyer text me to say she's on her way; I haven't heard from Allen. For now it's just you and me, Baby."

"Whatever you say Johnny," Tari said, sliding down to sit on the floor.

"Alright fine," he said, sitting next to her. "No nicknames. Can you believe school isn't cancelled in this weather?" They could still hear the rain, as loud and demanding as a child.

"We've got the maths test," she reminded him. "If we don't do it now we'll just have to do it later – when we should be studying for something else."

"Thanks Mom," Liam said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, no nicknames."

"I'm betting it'll be cancelled anyway," said Liam. The hope was clear in his voice. "Not everyone will be able to make it in. Did you hear about the tree that was brought down on Appleby street? That'll make it twice as hard for people that take that route – they'll have to go round unless they walk, and who's really going to walk in this weather?"

"All I know is that they're warning us that we might lose electricity," Tari answered.

"As long as we're not stuck in school," he replied. He pulled a face. "God, can you imagine it? It'd be like one big, bitchy slumber party. I think I'd walk if it came down to it."

"I don't know," Tari said, her voice low. "I think I'd rather be here."

Liam tilted his head to her; his blue eyes, ones that verged on violet, were scrunched together. "What's up?" he asked, not unkindly.

Before she could answer they heard the clomp of high heels and a chipper voice. "Good morning kids!" Sawyer said, much too brightly than before.

"Is it?" Tari grumbled, raising an eyebrow at Liam. _Typical Sawyer_, it said and Liam smiled understanding, but it didn't quite reach his eyes – ones that were still scanning her face.

"It is now," she said, pushing the usual drinks order at them. Liam cried out triumphantly and snatched his hot chocolate while Tari sipped her coffee. _God I needed that_, she thought. She knew that fourteen probably wasn't the best age to start drinking coffee, but damn she needed it. She looked at her friend, whose hair was in perfect loose curls and dark eye make up that wasn't smudged. "What are you, super girl? How did you manage to get us our usual and look like that in crazy weather?"

"You're part vampire," Sawyer said. "Maybe I'm an angel. I'm certainly beautiful enough."

"Of course," Liam said, his tongue slightly mocking.

"Hey before Allen we didn't know a lot of things existed," Sawyer said, now that some people were actually passing them in the hallway. "Where is he anyway?"

"No idea," said Liam. "He's not answering his cell."

"Speaking of, what about you?" Sawyer asked Tari, her green eyes on the girl. "I sent you a ton of emails and you never replied."

Tari leant her head against the lockers. "Guess whose dad found out about Mission Caleb?"

"_What?_" Sawyer gasped.

"He saw the bite?" Liam asked, his mind going straight there.

"Yeah," Tari said. She frowned. "But it was like he was _looking _for it. As if he already knew. I mean, he went to the warehouse when they realised there was a dead vampire – can you say dead vampire? Anyway, I don't see how he made the connection between us being out and the vampire being staked."

"I think I know why," Allen said, coming down the hall. He sat down next to Liam, his face a little glum. "My mom grounded me and took my cell off me. She knows what we did – and I don't know how. She confronted me about it and eventually I couldn't deny it."

"Are you saying our parents are communicating?" Tari asked. She shook her head. "First my teacher and now my friend's mom. He's always keeping tabs on me. How long are you grounded for?"

"Two weeks."

"Lucky you – I'm stuck in the house for three weeks, and fighting with my father."

"My mom's pretty mad at me," Allen commented. "It's like the Arctic circle at my house."

"I feel bad," Sawyer said, biting her lip. "You two are imprisoned in your houses and my parents don't even know anything happened."

"Yeah it sucks, but I'm not telling my parents that I went and stabbed a vampire," Liam snorted. "Never mind ground me, they'd have a coronary. Or send me to the mental hospital."

Sawyer looked crestfallen. "Yeah, but now we all won't be able to hang out for ages. Except in school, which-"

"What are you students sitting here for?" Mrs Diane Kennedy stormed towards them. She was one of the strictest teachers in the school. Many students groaned if they had her for English, because she was notorious for grading harshly – though from what Tari heard, she was certainly accomplished. She was a published poet and writer, and once worked as a judge in Chicago before, as it was claimed by mocking students, she decided to work in schools where she could stop students from reaching the courtroom. "There's an assembly for freshmen in the main hall. Get going."

"I bet she was an army general in a former life," muttered Sawyer, standing.

"She's tough," Allen agreed.

"Tough?" snorted Liam. "You don't have her for English. I've taken to reading the cheat notes on the internet just so when she questions me I have an opinionated answer." He sighed. "Why couldn't I have had Mr Herman like you two? You're so lucky."

"Sawyer definitely is," Tari said. She flashed a grin at her friend who glowered at her behind Liam and Allen's backs.

The school day was hectic, but Tari reflected that it was like a holiday. None of the students took their work seriously, chatting in class, not bothering to do their work. Even the teachers seemed to be acting as if it was the last day of term. In classes where the teachers barely gave them anything to do, Tari studied for her maths test. But as she was heading to the maths lesson, trying to remember the Pythagoras theorem, the electricity died, and the teacher sent the class to the library, where the emergency generators forced the lights on.

"This is so lame," muttered Sawyer, flicking her hair behind her ear. "They won't even send us home."

"I told you," Liam said to Tari. "We'll be sleeping in the hall, mark my words."

"Damon will come through the storm to get me, trust me."

Liam shrugged. "As long as he drops me off."

"This is so annoying," muttered Allen.

"I know – why can't we take the maths test in here?"

"Not that," he said, grimacing. "I can't get this problem right."

Tari leant forward, her eyes over the math problem. "You forgot to carry the extra amount over here, see?"

"Oh yeah... But look, the answer still isn't right."

"You two are morons," said Liam, also leaning forward. "You got that part wrong, it's seventy three."

"Have you even revised for this?" Tari asked.

"I don't need to," replied Liam, not even bothering to hide his smugness. "Maths is easy."

Sawyer snorted, though it didn't seem as if she was really listening. Her eyes were scanning the library, as if she was searching for someone, though Tari knew that she was simply curious. Sawyer was like that, unable to keep sit still, hating being kept in the dark. Tari believed that she had been a cat in a former life. "Not everyone has a genius for a mom."

Liam smirked. "My mom's nickname in high school was tutorgirl," he explained. "I have her brains and my father's sports talent. Best of both worlds."

"You certainly got neither of their modesty," Sawyer said cheerfully. She moved her attention to Allen and Tari. "I wouldn't worry guys; this test isn't going to happen today, trust me. If you ask me the school will probably be closed for the rest of the week." She couldn't help but laugh at Allen and Tari's horrified expressions. "That's a good thing!"

"I'll probably ace this test; I have nothing else to do but revise," muttered Tari gloomily. She shut her maths textbook. "My mind is spinning with numbers."

"Take a break," Sawyer suggested eagerly. "We can go for a wander-"

"No, I need to start on my English work," Tari replied. She pulled _Wuthering Heights _out of her bag, flipping through the pages. "It's so complicated," she murmured.

"I love Heathcliff," Sawyer said, almost dreamily. "He's so...damaged."

"And that's the perfect man for you?" Tari asked sceptically. "An evil, abusive husband?"

"That was Hindley's fault," argued Sawyer. "And Heathcliff was troubled: in love with Catherine but unable to have her, and having to settle for Isabella. Of course he hated her."

"He didn't _have _to settle," Tari pointed out. "He married her because he wanted more land, he wanted more power."

"Only because he was afraid. Think about it: he knew what happened if he didn't have any wealth or land, like when Hindley returned."

"I just can't see it as romantic," Tari murmured. "It's so obvious that Catherine was meant to be with Heathcliff. Maybe on some level she was attracted to Edgar, but Heathcliff suited her so much better: they were both wild, a little cruel, maybe lively. They were destined to be together. It was that simple, but neither of them had the guts to be together."

"My friend the cynic," Sawyer said, with a note of exasperation.

"I'm not cynical," argued Tari, though she admitted to herself that she was, just a little bit. But it was easy for Sawyer: her parents were the perfect love story. She had read Lucas' book, _An Unkindness of Ravens_, and it was beautiful. In her wildest dreams Tari wished that she would have someone to do that for her: lay out his love for her for the whole world to see. Yet she had grown up watching her single mother going on date after date, sometimes have a boyfriend for a month or two before ending it or having it end; listen to her mother crying into her pillow at night when she thought Tari couldn't hear her. How many people got divorced these days? How could she believe in love when she had seen her mother look for it and never find it? "I'm a realist."

"That's one word for it," said Sawyer.

"No – I mean, I adored the romance between Rhett and Scarlett. _That _was real and still so beautiful."

"I'll admit Rhett was hot, but he was nothing compared to Heathcliff-"

"Rhett loved children, how can you not adore a man like that?"

"Can we please stop talking about books?" Liam asked. "I mean, we've taken down a you-know-what and we're going on about literature?"

"We can't talk about that, not when other people are around," Allen pointed out.

"And I need to go see Mr Herman," said Tari, standing. "He needs to mark my practice question."

"He's in his classroom," Sawyer said. She could tell her friend was wondering whether she had said too much. It must have been hard, not knowing whether she was being too intimate or not. Tari couldn't understand why she did it; after all, didn't the risk outweigh the pleasure?

Tari made her way through the darkened hallways. Some students had gone rogue, leaving the library and hanging out in the halls – probably smoking weed or something stupid. The halls were so dark; it was like a setting for a horror film. But at that moment Tari wasn't afraid of vampires – for some reason she couldn't picture being attacked in school. She was more afraid of the storm. She could hear thunder in the distance, getting louder. For a moment she wondered if Damon was right, that maybe she should have stayed at home. _Why is Damon always in the right? _Tari thought, gritting her teeth. He could be so insufferable when he was right.

Tari was about to enter the classroom when she stopped suddenly, her eyes seeing through the glass at the top of the door. Mr Herman was in the classroom, but he wasn't alone. There was a student with him. A female student.

She couldn't tell if anything was going on between them. After all, Tari did tend to have a wild imagination – or at least she always thought she did; lately she was beginning to wonder whether the things she saw were really her imagination. Mr Herman and the student were talking, but the way their body posture was – he sitting on the desk, leaning over it towards her, her standing there as if she wanted to be on the desk with him. Their heads were close, and she could see the girl – a junior, Olivia Delinsky – was smiling.

It set Tari on edge.

Without thinking of what she was doing she burst through the door. Olivia jumped back, but Mr Herman turned his gaze to her, cool and calm. "Excuse me Mr Herman," Tari said, her own voice stubbornly frosty. "I was wondering if you could mark the practice question that I've done?"

He smiled at her. "Certainly Tari," he said. He had leant back, away from Olivia. He turned back to the junior, smiling. "I'll talk to you about the test later Olivia."

"Thank you Mr Herman," she said. Picking up her bag the blonde walked towards the door. As she passed Tari, the girl could almost feel a distinct smugness about her. It didn't make her feel confident.

Mr Herman held out his hand and Tari gave him the sheet of paper. She couldn't make herself look away, her anger being to bubble so much that she clenched her fist, as if her body wanted to punch him. And she did entertain the notion. Tari had avoided Mr Herman as best as she could, not even raising her hand in class. She knew something about him that could ruin his reputation and make him redundant in one fell swoop. Yet he also had one up on her: if she turned him in she would hurt Sawyer too. Teenagers could be cruel, and Tari knew if they found out that Sawyer had dated Mr Herman her friend would never hear the end of it.

"I'm sorry it's taking so long," Mr Herman said, his eyes on her paper. "In the darkness it's hard to see. The school shouldn't be open; we'd send you lot home if we didn't think it would be too dangerous." He looked up at her, smiling. "Perhaps I can mark it another time?"

Tari pursed her lips together, and began to turn away. She walked a few steps towards the door but the stopped. She knew that this was stupid; and yet she knew herself well enough that she couldn't keep her mouth _shut_. It was a fault of hers, but she knew that she would be in a terrible mood if she didn't speak.

She whirled round like a hurricane, and stormed forwards. She was angry at Mr Herman, yes, but this fury was also because of what had happened with Damon. And she would be damned if she was going to admit it, but she _missed _Damon: she missed talking to him, surprisingly enough; missed how he would hug her and kiss her on the forehead when he said goodnight to her. Recently he had been out at the bar until about one in the morning, and didn't see any reason to disturb her. It reminded Tari of those early days when her mother had first died, when she barely saw Damon at all, only when he made sure she wasn't trying to leave. She couldn't understand _why _she acted that way before; it was almost like she was still in the dream. She supposed that she had still been in shock.

"Listen to me," Tari said in a low voice, as if she was worried that someone would hear. "Sawyer may think that you're the perfect man, but if you ask me you're Heathcliff – people believe that you're a good man, but in the end you're just an abusive person that will take whatever he can. I didn't ask to know about this, but I do. And if you hurt my friend, I swear to God that I will make you pay."

The lightning flashed and Tari could see his face. His usual smiling, attractive face was now hard, as if it had been carved from stone. Those light eyes of his were dark, just like the storm. He stood up slowly, but that made him even more threatening; he was now taller than her too. She wondered if that made him feel stronger - and then realised that he was feeling threatened by a schoolgirl. It gave Tari just a little bit of courage to maintain eye contact.

"What Sawyer and I do is none of your business," he said. Though his voice was calm, his eyes flashed in anger. He didn't like being put in his place, Tari realised.

"Sawyer is one of my best friends. What hurts her hurts me, and if she can't hurt you back then trust me, I will. If you make my friend happy, great – but don't even think about cheating on her. Don't flirt with other girls, especially not when she could just walk in on you."

"I am a teacher; I'm going to have to talk to female students. I can't avoid the female population just because you want me to. Sawyer understands that. She's a big girl."

"She's _fifteen_." Tari glowered at him. "What's wrong with you?" she asked him. "Obviously you have mother issues." She went to move away when she was jerked back because he grabbed her arm. She turned her head slowly, eyeing him.

"Watch yourself," he whispered. "I don't take orders from high school girls."

She hadn't realised he could be so threatening. What was it with her, why did she seem to confront the freaks? She tried to move her arm away, but he clung on. "What is it?" he hissed. "Are you jealous?"

She laughed, loudly. A little exaggerated she'd admit, but it was still funny, the thought that she wanted him. "Oh yes, because I'm _desperate _to kiss a man who can't get a girl his own age so has to pawn off school children-"

He yanked her closer to him, so much that it caused a jolt of pain. Her body was still sore after the whole vampire attack. "What does it take to shut you up? Be careful, or I'll take that mouth off your face."

She dug him in the ribs, pulling her arm away. His hand went to his side, and he winced as he rubbed it. Now at a safe distance, Tari glowered at him. "Don't you dare threaten me. I have faced tougher men that you, _believe_ me. And if you hurt me, I will tell my father and he will do a lot more than just get you fired." She and Damon may be in the middle of a fight, but if she came home crying her eyes out about an abusive teacher she knew Damon wouldn't sort it with a phone call – he'd break into his place and throw him through a window. While Damon's protectiveness drove her up the wall, it had an upside.

"Hurt my friend, and I will make sure you suffer. Got it?" His glare told her that he did, and she turned away and slammed the door.

Despite the bravado Tari felt shaken. She took herself to the bathroom, pacing and taking deep breathes to calm herself. But then she wasn't as scared as she hadn't been – Mr Herman was nothing compared to Caleb. Yet she worried about Sawyer. Would he tell her what she said? And yet she doubted it, because she would then tell Sawyer how he threatened her. Maybe he was hoping that they would fight – and yes, they could, but they would make up. Their friendship was stronger than that.

**xXx **

"For fuck sake Ric, pick up your phone once in a while," Damon snapped. He was lounging on the leather couch, feet up on the coffee table. Elena always complained about it, but she wasn't here, so...

"I'm a little busy here Damon," Ric replied. As they spoke she shooed a group of kids (stoners, almost certainly) back into the library. "Today's manic. The electricity's gone down so only the lights in the library are working. We've got too many students shoved in there and it's getting a bit crowded. What's up?"

"I'll get to that in a minute. One question: are there any exams going on today?"

Ric frowned. "Well yeah, for the weeks leading up 'til winter break. There was a maths one scheduled for today."

"Damn it," Damon cursed. "She was telling the truth."

"Can you stop using me as a spy? Technically I'm already a babysitter/protector – and you're still not paying me enough."

"Look, I was just calling to ask whether or not I should pick Tari up."

"Don't worry, we're fine," answered Ric. "No lessons are going on and the students are treating it like it's a holiday, but other than that, we're fine."

"There's a tornado warning not far from here." Damon's voice was unusually low and...timid? "I don't like the thought of Tari being out in a tornado."

Ric sighed. _Where's the Damon that was cut-throat? The one that killed dozens of people? Right now I'd take over the wimpy, parental Damon. _"She'll be fine. It's more dangerous if you come over – you could crash, and that would be worse." After all, Tari had been in one only a little while ago. If Damon crashed with Tari, she probably wouldn't go in a car again. He didn't think of mentioning that to Damon though – it probably wouldn't go down well.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine. Look, I'll keep an eye out for her okay? We're going to move the students down to the locker room for as a precaution."

"Thanks," Damon said, sighing. "Call me if there's a problem."

He hung up, his eyes on the flames in the living room. He didn't like being away from Tari when there could be danger. It always worried him. There was nothing he could do – he couldn't control the weather, and there was no guarantee that she would be safer here then at school – especially since they were fighting at the moment. It was such bad timing – perhaps she would have been more eager to have a day at home if they weren't fighting. They could have watched a film – though he would have preferred not to; after all, instead of watching the Thanksgiving football game they watched _Sex and the City _instead (though admittedly he found Samantha as the female version of himself – when he was still in that dark period with Katherine). They could play chess. She was actually getting better – the last time it took him twenty minutes to crush her.

If it only it was warm – summer even. If he closed his eyes he could almost _feel _it: the rays of light on his skin, the smell of flowers in the air, and Rebecca. In that pretty white dress, she looked so...

_There are no words to describe how she looks. I cannot take my eyes off her. Then again, maybe it's not the way she looks – after all, Rebecca has always been stunning, breath-taking, leaving me shaking afterwards, but this is different. She's _here_. I left her – no, I let her go, and she came back. That's got to mean something right? _

"_Damon!" I turn and realise Elena is talking to me. She looks a little insulted that I haven't been paying attention to her, but really, it's _Rebecca_. "Are you listening?" _

"_Look Elena, can we talk later?" I move my eyes back to Rebecca, but she's gone. "Damn it!" _

"_What's going on?" says Elena, and her eyes are wide and she actually looks concerned. "Are you okay?" _

"_I'll be back," I say and hurry away, my eyes searching for Rebecca. Damn it where is she? What if she's got the wrong end of the stick? What if she thinks I'm with Elena? I push past Stefan (who tries to get my attention but absolutely fails) and walk along the path towards the fountain. We've had the gardens done up for this party, and the plants neatly cut and in bloom. I try to think where Rebecca would go, and go towards the water fountain. _

_It's like something from a film: she's sitting on the ledge, looking into the water. Her hand reaches out, touching it. There are water lilies, pink ones, floating on top (yes, Stefan went all out for this party). I just stare at her, drinking in her beauty. _

_I'm not nearly done when she turns to me. She smiles again and I swear I must have a heart; I have to have one to feel this. _

"_I changed my mind," she says simply. _

_I stay where I am. "Why?" _

_She shrugs. "You were right. I was hiding. This is probably going to end in my heart break, but you're right; I need to take a chance. It's better than wondering what might have been." _

_I can't help but smile as I sit down beside her. "Tell me," I say. "Who hurt you?" _

"_My parents," she says softly. Though that wasn't the answer I was expecting, I lean back to listen. "Since I was seven I remember them arguing. They could fight about anything: money, what to watch on the TV, my sister and me – even what to eat for dinner. It was awful, watching them tear each other into shreds. Isabel would come into my room and we never said anything, but I'd hold her hand. _

"_When I was eleven they finally got divorced. It was a long time coming – in fact I would have preferred they got divorced earlier. Of course they fought over us: my dad wanted us to live with him, my mom would her. Isabel and I didn't know what to do. How could you pick one parent over the other? _

"_After a long time – and the slashing of tires, shouting matches in the school, and a mediation – my mom got custody of us. That strained the relationship with our father; he thought that we had picked Mom over him. We didn't see him a lot after that. Christmases were a nightmare; Mom and Dad tried to be together, but it never worked." She tries to smile, but I can tell it's hard for her. "Not a great childhood. _

"_But as you can see, it's scarred me. Stupid I know, but whenever anyone wanted to go out with me, I would get scared. Sometimes I would go out with them for a while, but..." She turns her dark eyes away, almost ashamed. "I would end it once it got serious. Like I tried to do with you." _

"_Why me? Why change for me?" I ask. I am holding my breath; I want to hear the answer to this. _

"_Because you were right. I _was _hiding. And in truth, this week has been the best one since...ever I guess." Her face softens at the thought and I want to take hold of her. But I push the thought away for now; I don't want to scare her. Despite coming tonight, I don't want to put her off. "I was sitting in my room and realised that I didn't want it to end." _

_I look into her eyes – I always seem to fall for brown eyed brunettes – so she knows I'm serious. "I don't either." _

_We hold each other's gaze for a moment. She snaps out of it, sitting up straight. "So that's my sad little tale. C'mon, I've told mine. You should tell me yours." _

"_And you assume that I have a sad story?" I ask, crossing my legs. I allow a smirk to cross my lips. _

_She gives me a look. "Damon, the first night we met you got drunk out of your mind and told me that the girl you loved was marrying your brother. Now that I'm considering dating you-"_

"_Considering?" My smirk widens. "Honey, you came here. You're not considering, you're certain." _

"_A girl can change her mind – its part of her prerogative," she informs me, looking at me from under her eyelashes. "Anyway, now that I'm _considering _dating you, you have to tell me everything." _

_I can't help but glance at her doubtfully. "Are you sure? It's a long story." _

_Her face turns serious. "I can take it." _

_She can't. I'm not stupid; I'm not going to tell her that I'm a vampire whose killed more times than she has hair on her legs. But there's the other stuff too... _

_I sigh. "Okay: once upon a time I had a mother and father who both loved me very much. I was a happy kid until I was seven. My mother became pregnant with my brother, and we should have been even happier. Hell, we _were _happy. But a few months she was thrown off a horse. Broke her neck." Her gaze has turned sympathetic. "I saw her fall off. I remember seeing her..." I shake myself, not watching the image, but it appears in my head anyway: her neck twisted in a terrible angle, her blue eyes lifeless. It haunts me through the night. _

"_That ended the fairytale," I continue. "My father was grief-stricken. He couldn't take care of himself, let alone me and Stefan. He couldn't even look at me – I look like her. He sent me out the room for a year. As for me, I was confused; I cried out for my mother every night, but my father never comforted me. It wasn't him." _

"_Oh Damon," she says, and she takes my hand. "I'm sorry." _

_I give her hand a squeeze. While I don't enjoy pity – okay, its sympathy, but it feels like pity – I don't want to let go of her hand. "My father and I never got on well after that. I grew up wilful and always disobeying him over the silliest things*, and my father didn't like that. He preferred Stefan, who was quiet and did what he was told. Surprisingly though, Stefan and I got on really well. We were brothers, after all." Sometimes I miss those days – before Elena, before Katherine... Oh yes, _Katherine.

"_Then Katherine came along." _

"_Katherine?" Rebecca looks surprised. _

"_Another woman we fought over, believe it or not. She was selfish, a liar, cunning, but extremely beautiful. I can't say what brought me under her spell-" compulsion, "-but I was infatuated by her." _

"_But so was Stefan," Rebecca finishes. _

"_Yeah. Long story short it all climaxed, and Katherine left. Stefan and I were never the same again. Fast-forward a few years later, and Elena comes in. Stefan dated her first, I'll admit it. But I began to fall for her too. I wasn't meant to – in fact I'd sworn off relationships since Katherine – but there was something about Elena that made me fall for her." I shrug. "But she chose Stefan." _

_I fidget under her dark gaze. "I wish I had a drink in my hand," I murmur. _

_She laughs. "You don't need a drink Damon." She smiles sadly. "But now I understand about you and your brother. Everyone picked him." _

_So simple, but it's true. It's _always _Stefan; he races ahead while I'm left in the dust, forever destined to be second best. "I guess." _

_She continues to look at me. "Let me get this out the way now," she says. "I haven't met your brother. I don't have any desire to. Believe it or not, I like you. I don't want to meet Stefan at all, or Elena." She moves her hand on to my knee. "I just want to spend time with you." _

_We talk for a long time: about our favourite films and music and places we've been and places we'd like to go. I can't remember ever talking so much – and it's been a long time since I've laughed. We talk about families and growing up and what we'd like to do. It's easy, now that we've gone through the painful stuff. I feel more comfortable with her now, and I think she does too. _

_When Elena and Stefan and others are making the toasts (thank God Rebecca is here) we sneak into the house. She is amazed by it, looking over at the wood work. She demands to see my room, and doesn't take no for an answer. If she is surprised by bareness of it, she doesn't remark upon it. Instead she looks over the books. "_Gone With The Wind_? _Call Of The Wild_? Not exactly the most modern books." _

"_I happen to like classics," I say, leaning against the bedpost. _

"_I suppose you could get used to them," she says, shrugging. She turns, moving closer to me. I feel electricity jump between us, and I take a step closer. She looks up in my face, those big eyes huge. _

"_Are you sure?" I ask. I don't want to scare her off. _

"_Damon, I want to be with you," she says, looking me in the face. "And I've been dreaming of your kiss since the time you kissed me in the car." I know she is certain because she leans forward and kisses _me. _I am surprised, but I put my arms round her and pull her closer to me. She fits seamlessly, like a glove specially made for me. _

_I take my time with her. Slowly I undress her, not like other girls who I have torn the clothes off. I take her dress, the beautiful white dress that a princess would want to wear, and let it fall to the floor. As I am doing this she pushes off my jacket. I take my top off and study her as she studies me. Both liking what we see, we smile, conspirators. She unzips my trousers as I unhook her bra (the clasp is on the front of it – my kind of girl) and then she pulls down her underwear as I pull down mine. _

_We are both completely naked. _

_Moving onto the bed, we begin to kiss. Everything seems to be happening at once: her hands are on my chest, my lips on her neck (but I notice I have no desire to bite her), and she allows me to be on top. It seems to be a little painful when I enter her, but I am gentle for once, and in the end we are both crying out in ecstasy. Finally I roll on the bed beside her, breathing rapidly. _

_God that felt good. I haven't had sex like that for a long time – since Rose, and this is much better. It's the first time I've had sex with someone with feelings – powerful feelings. I am about to say something to her when I smell it. _

_I catch my breath. Blood. I glance down at the sheets and see they're a little stained. _

_Rebecca was a virgin. _

_I am prepared to have to control myself; to have to force myself on the bed, or leave, or make her leave. But as seconds turn into a minute I realise: I'm not fighting the urge. I don't _have _an urge. I don't want to her drink her blood. For some bizarre reason her blood doesn't appeal to me. _

_She rolls over to face me. Her legs swing in the air and she smiles, and I don't think I've ever seen anyone this sexy. "How was it?" _

_I smile back. "I don't want to increase your ego, but that was the best I've ever head." _

_She shakes her head. "Liar." _

"_Am not," I tease. I move closer to her, feeling her breath on my skin. I kiss her again, gently and softly. I can feel her happiness, every inch of it. I hope she can feel mine too. _

_We do it more than once that night, and once again when the sun begins to rise. We are dozing in the morning sunshine, my arm round her and her face on my stomach. I am playing with her gorgeous dark hair when I hear footsteps. I don't take much notice when I hear the door open. Rebecca lifts her head the same time I do and we hear a muffled shriek of shock. Elena is standing in the doorway, staring at us with wide eyes. _

"_Oh God I – sorry!" She rushes back out, slamming the door. _

_We pause for a moment and we can't help it, we laugh. A smile on her face, she lifts her head to look at me. "Elena?" _

_I nod. _

_She says, without even attempting to hide her smugness, "I guess she knows you're over her now."_

The door opened and closed, and Damon turned his head, confused and a little peeved that he was brought out of such a beautiful memory. Elena came into the living room, looking as if she had been swimming with her clothes on. Her hair was flung about at odd angles too. "Do _not _go outside, whatever you do."

"The television already told me that." Elena moved next to her, shoving his feet off the coffee table. Damon rolled his eyes. "What you doing back?"

"The electricity in the library got cut. There was no one there anyway." She rested her back against the sofa. "I'd feel safer if Tari was home," she admitted.

"So would I," Damon agreed. "But the tornado warning's far from here. I can't see it being a problem."

"That would convince me even more if your face wasn't like that," Elena said, grinning.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like you're panicking on the inside."

"I'm that obvious?"

"Completely." Elena leant back on the sofa beside him, now out of her wet coat. "It's okay to care Damon. I get why you were upset about her confronting the vampire. I'm not taking her side," Elena said hurriedly when she saw Damon glower at her, "what she did was wrong and she could have killed herself. But I understand _why _she did it." Elena shrugged. "She wanted to get back at them. It _sucks _being the victim, believe me."

"I can't let this go Elena. She could have _killed _herself."

"I know," Elena said, holding up her hands. Slowly a superior smile appears on her face. "But you'll go easy on her once you two make up. You're both hurt now, but it won't last. And when you're both happy again, you'll slowly let her have some fun again."

"I'm not letting her out the house, not _ever _if I can help it-"

"I'm betting you'll give her back her laptop," Elena replied as if she hadn't heard him. "You're too anxious about, well, _you know_, to let her go outside – in fact you love it when she misbehaves, just so you can ground her and keep her safe – but you won't make her miserable." She can't keep the smile off her face when she said, "Believe it or not Damon, you don't have the heart to."

**xXx **

"Attention! Attention! FOR CHRIST SAKE LISTEN!" All the students paused in whatever they were doing, thought it was to be said that they weren't doing much. Even Tari, after her confrontation with Mr Herman, had given up, her concentration out the window. "We've just been informed that there was a tornado warning. While it's a good distance away, we still believe that it's best to be safe – so we're all moving down to the locker rooms." Groans were issued, but people began to get up and follow the teachers.

"This is crazy," said Sawyer, shaking her head. "They should give us a day off because of this."

"If we can get the school to flood somehow, that would be better," Liam said, already in planning mood. The other three grinned, noting how he took to planning when the chance of a day off school was offered. "Allen, you're a you-know-what. Can't you do something to get us a running water system in here?"

Smiling, Allen shook his head. "I'm in enough trouble from my mom as it is. If she found out that I gave myself a day off, she would go insane and I don't think I'd see you guys until the New Year."

"But a day off _school_," Liam whined, and Tari laughed at his expression.

"I can't believe it's nearly December," she said. Soon it would be Christmas, and the thought of spending it _here _and not New York made her a little sad. New York was best at Christmas time: everywhere was decorated, you could ice skate and go to the huge Toys R Us store. Even when Tari had really grown out of toys, she still loved to go there.

Quickly she focussed on something else – anything else – so she fumbled in her bag for her copy of _Wuthering Heights_. "Damn it," she murmured. "I must have left it in the library." Throwing her bag to the floor, she began to fight the current of people to get to the library.

"Tari!" Allen called to her, trying to follow. "You have to stay here!"

"Do you know how hard it is to get a good copy of the book?" his friend called back. "One that hasn't been puked on? Relax," she said with an easy smile, "I'll be two minutes."

She was surprised that no teachers stopped her – then again she was new and often managed to creep by unnoticed. None of the other students paid any attention to her. That was what high school was like: if you didn't make yourself noticed, then you weren't, plain and simple.

The lights in the library had been switched off, so it was dark. Moving carefully, Tari cursed the fact that they had chosen a table the furthest away from the doors, right by the windows. She crept down the aisle of books, realising for the first time how big the library actually was. Tari usually loved libraries: she had always enjoyed reading, and libraries were so calm and quiet, relaxing. She had spent a lot of time at the New York library. She missed it: it had been so big, every little noise echoing – but the libraries here were tiny.

She moved as fast as she could in the darkness, not wanting to trip over anything. When she found the table, her copy of _Wuthering Heights _was nowhere to be found. Muttering curses, she bent down on the ground, searching underneath the table. _Someone's taken it,_ she thought angrily. _Now I'll have to get a battered one. Plus find where I left off. _

Still Tari wasn't one for giving up: she stood up, her eyes searching the darkness. The lightning flashed again, illuminating the room. In that second she saw her book. It was away from the table, tossed right against the window. She walked to it, wondering why some kids were such idiots. _Really, what's the point? _she asked. Some teenagers were so immature.

Rising from picking the book up, her eyes went to the window. It was a huge one, covering the wall. It led to a small courtyard, where the flowers and plants that had been planted were scattered, and the few trees that were there had branches hanging off. Tari wondered what the chances of a branch breaking the window were. The thought of it was bad enough, and Tari started to turn away.

The lightning came down again, when her eyes were still on the window. A face appeared, directly opposite hers.

She screamed – she couldn't help herself. Her quick instincts made her rush backwards, and she fell over a chair. It was a large wooden one, heavy, and it caught her in the creases of her legs. She fell straight over it, rolling over and landing on the floor – no, on her _head_. The pain shot straight through her, but she couldn't stop to take note of it; instead she made herself run, hurry as far away from the window as possible. She hid behind one of the large shelves, breathing hard. Her arms felt wobbly and her head ached. Yet all she could think about was that _face_. _That's impossible, _she told herself. _It can't be. It _can't –

Tari felt a hand on her arm and she jerked away, crying out. "Hey," Alaric said, holding his hand back. "It's okay."

"Mr Saltzman," she gasped. Despite him being there she was still stuck on the shelf. "There's someone outside."

"What? A student?"

Tari was already shaking her head. "A man – it was a man. But it couldn't have been – could you please go and look for me?" she asked, her blue eyes pleading. "Please, just look."

"Okay," he said, staring at her face. It was quite obvious the girl was scared, and he thought it was a good idea to do anything he could to calm her. He eyed her for a moment before walking towards the window. The lightning shot out the sky again, but Alaric couldn't see anyone, even when he pressed his face against the glass. All he could think was that he didn't like the way the trees were swaying like that. _We should be in the locker room, _he thought, turning back. He found a book on the floor and picked it up.

"Missing this?" he asked her, holding out _Wuthering Heights. _

Tari tried to smile as she took it, but even in the darkness he could tell it was forced. "There was no where there?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

He shook his head. "No, I couldn't see anyone." He watched her face carefully, seeing it tighten. "Who did you think it was?"

She shook her head, not wanting to answer.

"You said 'it couldn't have been'," Alaric pressed. "So you obvious thought it was someone."

She sighed, relaxing a little. "I thought – I thought it was someone that I've been seeing in a dream. But it must have been my imagination. The man I see in the dream – well, I don't know him. He might have been someone I saw in passing, or someone that doesn't exist."

"Maybe you're just tired," said Alaric kindly. He knew he should take the girl into the locker room, but he wanted her to calm down a little first. She was pale, though with her blue eyes and dark hair, it as natural. "You enjoying the book?"

Tari glanced up at him. "You know it?"

"I read it when I was in college. What do you think of it? The great love story?"

The girl shook her head. "It's not a love story."

Alaric was surprised. "You've not fallen for Heathcliff then?"

She snorted. "Please. Maybe the writer wanted women to swoon over him, but I can't believe that's love." Feeling the need to confess – and why to Mr Saltzman, of all people, she didn't know – she blurted out, "I don't think I believe in love."

She expected Alaric to say something about how sad that was, how she too young not to believe everything would be okay. But instead she saw him smile. "You sound like Damon."

A new interest in him, Tari straightened a little. "You've know Damon for a while then?"

"For a long time," he said. He leant against the opposite bookshelf, scrutinising her. He knew that Damon wouldn't want him to reveal anything about their past, but he was finding it increasingly hard not to. His life was tangled with Damon, and even more so with Elena; after all, he had practically been her stepfather, what with married to her mother and dating her aunt. "We didn't much like each other at first."

"I'm not surprised," Tari said.

"We got on better after that. After all," he said with a grin, "I could help him out with a few missions. I think he also felt a bit threatened by me, knowing that I had enough skill to kill him."

He could see and almost feel her stiffen. "What do you mean?" she said slowly. "Are you...?"

"A vampire?" said Alaric. Still smiling he shook his head. "Close: I'm a vampire hunter."

Tari tried to process this new information. "So you know that my father's a vampire? And-"

"And Elena and Stefan are, yes I know. I knew Elena when she was human."

Tari still couldn't take her eyes off him. For a few minutes they were silent, Alaric quietly allowing Tari to come to terms with it. Finally she said, "Does _everyone _know about vampires in this town?"

Alaric pretended to consider it. "About half, maybe." He laughed a little. "More people than you think. Liz for once."

"The sheriff?"

"Yes. We work with her with any vampire attacks. There hasn't been any for years, not until recently." He gave her an appraising look. "Which you took care of, I understand."

"Do you think I was wrong?" she asked bluntly.

"I can't answer that," Alaric said. "After all, it's a hobby of mine really. It wouldn't be right to say that you shouldn't. Though Damon was pretty angry at you. He couldn't stop going on about it at the bar. Then again, he was intoxicated." He studied her. "You two are still fighting, I take it?"

"Yes," Tari said sighing.

"I can imagine it'll be a long fight," commented Alaric.

"He's right though, isn't he?" asked Tari softly. "I was wrong to do it."

Alaric didn't say a word.

"Maybe I wasn't wrong to kill him – Caleb, I mean," Tari said fairly. "But Damon was right to be angry. I get that he's annoyed at me." Turning defiant, she said, "But I'm not sorry I did it."

Alaric laughed again. "I'm sorry Tari, but you really are like Damon."

"Well I'm not. That vampire was killing people. He had to be stopped."

"I think the part that annoyed Damon was that you didn't let us handle it."

Tari choked out a laugh. "I will next time – not that I'm saying there will be a next time. It was harder than I thought."

"What?" said Alaric, smiling. "You thought it would be easy."

"In my defence, attacking him wasn't part of the plan. We were going to spike his drink with vervain and if he reacted I would have called Damon."

"Not a bad plan," admitted Alaric. "You did well though, to fight off a vampire."

She shrugged before smiling a little. "I guess this toughness is in my blood."

Before Alaric could say anything they saw lightning flash again, and the thunder almost straight away – it was right above them.

And then they heard an enormous crash, which sounded like thunder again. But it wasn't thunder; they felt the ground shake.

**xXx **

"What time is it?" asked Elena. Stefan and Damon were on the couch, Elena on the armchair beside them, reading. Whenever there was a football game or a basketball match or any type of sport, she always read.

"Just after one," Damon answered. His eye was on the clock almost constantly.

"C'mon." Stefan leant forward, eyes on the player that was dribbling down the court. "C'mon... Yes, yes-!"

As the ball flew towards the hoop the screen changed, the sign of channel five news appearing on the screen. Stefan looked deflated while Elena laughed out loud at her husband. Damon shook his head, but he couldn't help but smiling too.

The news wiped that grin off his face.

"We interrupt your current program to bring you breaking news," said the anchor. His face looked grim, his head shaped like an egg. "We've just been informed that there has been an accident at Mystic Falls High school. Ambulances and firemen are travelling to the school. It appears a tree has be blown down and landed on part of the school. We have no specific details, but it is said that two people have been serious hurt, at least one a student."

The three of them were completely still, staring at the television.

"Tari," whispered Damon, almost numb. Elena turned to him, her look panicked. Stefan was still staring at the screen, and though the game had returned, none of them were paying attention.

As if a switch had been flicked, Damon leapt up. Without a word to the others he grabbed his jacket and car keys; it was when he started the engine he realised Stefan was in the seat next to him with Elena in the back.

None of them spoke for the first few minutes as he drove. "Damon," Elena said as the car skidded, nearly hitting a lamppost. On her side.

"Please tell me you're not suggesting that I slow down," Damon replied through gritted teeth. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel.

"Just take it easy," Stefan said, the mediator as always. "We won't do Tari any good if the car's been damaged."

If Damon agreed he didn't say anything about it. "Can you call Ric, please?" he asked – almost begged. He would have thought Ric would have called him – unless _he _had been injured. That thought made Damon feel even worse. He had told Ric to keep an eye on his daughter – but at what price?

Stefan was on the phone for a few seconds before hanging up. "It went straight to voicemail," his brother answered. By the sound of his voice, Damon could tell he was worried too.

It wasn't far from the school, but parking was a nightmare. Other parents must have heard about the accident and rushed in, worried about their child. Damon didn't give parking much thought; he pulled up on the sidewalk and practically leapt out the car, followed by Elena and Stefan.

"We'll split up," Stefan said. "I'll go round the back-"

"I'll go to the accident sight," Elena offered. If Tari _was _hurt – or worse – Damon shouldn't be the one to see it.

Damon didn't answer either of them. He burst through the double doors, going through the main entrance. The place was a nightmare though: parents rushing their students out the building, children calling on cell phones, teachers snapping orders. How he was supposed to find Tari in this chaotic place...

He pushed past people, his eyes searching. He tried Ric's mobile, and Tari's, but neither of them answered. The storm had probably brought the network down, in which case he doubted he would be able to get a hold of any of them, Stefan and Elena included.

_Damn it! Why did I let her out of my sight? She should have been at home – I should have _made _her stay. _

He was in the main hall, where a lot of parents and students were. His eyes searched for a dark haired girl. _What was she wearing? What kind of parent am I? _he thought with a wave of self-loathing. _How can I not remember what she was wearing? _

_Hair up_, another voice seemed to whisper to him. _She was wearing her hair in a ponytail. _

He glanced round again, quicker this time.

As if by magic, he saw her.

She was sitting on the stage, talking to Ric. She was playing with her ponytail, twirling her dark brown hair with her fingers. Damon took a moment just to appreciate her, alive, well and breathing. _She was okay. _Why did it seem that Tari always seemed to manage to dodge a bullet? She had to be the luckiest girl alive.

He only _prayed _that her luck – their luck – wouldn't run out.

He moved towards them, and she saw him first. He knew that another year was just added on to his life by the look of relief that covered her face. It warmed his dead heart, he swore it did. She pushed herself off the edge of the stage and rushed to him. She felt him press against her chest, and he pulled her eyes closer. "_Damon_," she whispered.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked, his nose on her head.

"Yeah I'm fine," Tari breathed. "It was just scary there for a minute. We heard the tree fall down and when we looked out the window there was the tree – and then there was this girl screaming-" Tari shook her head, unable to speak.

Ric came forward. At Damon's look he said "She's fine. Just a little shaken, but she's fine."

"Someone got hurt?" asked Damon.

"A girl and a boy. Stupid kids thought they would have a private make out session in a building that definitely wasn't secure enough." Ric rolled his eyes before smiling, patting Damon on the arm. "Listen, I need to help the other teachers get the students in order. I'll see you later."

"Ric," called Damon, still keeping a firm grasp on his daughter. His friend turned and Damon found himself momentarily speechless. "I owe you," he finally said. "I mean it."

Ric nodded before moving away. There was no point in telling Damon it was okay; he understood that when you protected someone's child they will repay you. Children were different. Jeremy and Elena hadn't been his, but he took on the role of parent after Jenna and John died. They were almost his children, and he understood the powerful need to protect. It must be different for Damon and Tari – Elena and Jeremy were more or less fully grown. Tari was barely a teenager.

Once Alaric had gone Damon pushed Tari forward, gazing at her carefully. "You're sure you're not hurt?"

"I'm fine," Tari said, giving him a nod. "Just a little shaken. I mean, we were in the library and we heard the crash, and then the girl screamed. Mr Saltzman was good though; he stayed with me, even taking me with him to get some teachers to help her." The girl, as it turned out, had been Olivia Delinsky. Life was funny like that.

"Ric's a good guy," Damon said, making a mental note that he would buy him a bottle of whisky – the most expensive he could get.

"And a vampire hunter," she said, her voice a tad lower.

He froze. "He – Ric told you?"

"Yeah. C'mon Damon," Tari said, managing a smile. "It's not surprising that there are vampire hunters, if there are vampires. It didn't surprise me as much as it should have. I must be getting used to these bombshells."

Damon nodded, his eyes on her. "Are you still mad at me?"

Tari hesitated. "Are you still me mad at _me_?"

Damon pursed his lips.

"Look," Tari began boldly. "I'm sorry, okay? But like I said before, I'm glad I got rid of him. He was a bad guy – he didn't deserve to die."

"But that doesn't give you the right to do it." He held up his hand when he saw Tari open her mouth. "What's done is done I guess – but _promise _me that next time, if you have any suspicions about someone, you will let _me _handle it, got it? 'Cause if I find out you do something like this again Tari, it'll make the blow out that I had last time look minuscule."

"Okay," Tari agreed. "I guess I'll be able to control myself."

"Why thank you," said Damon, but he couldn't help but smile. It was okay again. They were talking.

"Hey!" Stefan appeared, looking immensely relieved. He pulled his niece into a hug, and watching them, Damon felt...happy? Was that how he felt? He was glad that he had given Tari more of a family – not just him, but Stefan and Elena too. She had more family than either of them realised.

**xXx **

"Oh crap."

"Language," Damon teased.

"Shut up," Elena shot back. "You're just pleased that I owe you money." She fished through her collection of monopoly money, grudgingly handing it to him. She turned on her husband. "I told you not to sell him your orange!"

Stefan leaned back on the sofa, holding up his hands. "Hey, I needed the last pink."

The storm raged outside, but none of them even noticed. Though it was still bad, it had calmed down, and would hopefully end in later that night. Yet Damon couldn't help but be grateful; if this storm hadn't have happened, than the P.E. storage building wouldn't have collapsed and Damon wouldn't have rushed over and made up with Tari. It was strange really, how life had a way of sorting itself out.

Damon rolled the dice and moved the battleship. "Damn it," he muttered.

"Language," Elena mocked while Tari laughed.

"And you told me not to buy Mayfair," she said, shaking her head with an amused smile.

"'Course not," Damon said, lifting the beer to his mouth. "I wanted to buy it."

"Can we just end this game now?" asked Stefan, leaning back in the chair.

"No!" the other three exclaimed.

"Jesus, you lot are so bloody competitive," he sighed, drinking his own beer.

"Only because you're losing," Tari said.

"I'm not losing!" Stefan replied.

"You don't have many properties," commented Damon.

"At least I have some houses – Elena doesn't!"

There are moments in our lives that we call the greatest: your son being born; your eighteenth birthday; the first time you lost your virginity. And yes, these moments, these events in our lives can truly be great. But how many times have you sat down with a close group of friends at the dinner table and felt loved? How many times have you gone to a bar with your best mate and just talked, smiling and feeling like they're actually listening, like they understand you? Or played a game of monopoly with your family during a storm? Sometimes the best moments in our lives are the less important ones, the ordinary ones. We have a dozen of them, more often than we even notice, more often than we can remember. But every now and then we sit back and realise: we will remember this moment for the rest of our lives. Maybe it won't be one of the greatest moments in our lives; but it will be one of the most perfect ones.

**xXx **

***Remind you of anyone? ;-) **

**PLEASE REVIEW! Pretty please? **


	17. Deck the halls with cloves of garlic

**This is a LONG chapter! Surprising really, because it's kind of a filler chapter – or it was meant to be. I'm not sure if it turned out that way. I think this is going to be when the relationship between Damon and Tari gets better. **

**Anyway, I wanted to do a chapter on Xmas, because it would be the first one without Rebecca and with Tari and Damon together. If I'm honest I don't know how this one has turned out, whether it's good or bad – but hey, at least I've finally finished it. Some days it felt as if I was trying to squeeze words – ANY words – out of my mind. **

**I hope you enjoy it! **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill; I do not own any of the characters, except for Tari, Rebecca, Liam and Allen**

**xXx**

**Chapter Fifteen **

**Deck the halls with cloves of garlic **

_He lunges for me, and part of me yells to move but I don't, something is telling me I can't. So I don't and I let him push me. I fall through the air, falling and falling, unable to see where I am going. _

_Falling... _

_Falling... _

_Falling... _

Tari pushed herself up from the bed, but not as fast as she usual did. She was getting used to the dream, wasn't so surprised when she felt herself falling. Yet it always left her with a certain chill, and with that in mind Tari wrapped the cover round herself. Then again, it was probably the weather: it was the middle of December, and the weather had definitely taken a cool turn. The heating was usually on, but it was early in the morning and it hadn't been switched on yet.

She was a little annoyed that she had woken up; she already had school, so every second that she had to sleep was precious. She curled in bed, closing her eyes and filling her mind with warm thoughts...like the beach...

The doorbell rung, followed by three quick knocks. Tari groaned, throwing the pillow over her head. She waited for someone to answer the door – they were vampires after all, shouldn't they have super-sensitive hearing? But the doorbell rung again and this time there were four knocks; then it rang again, and another set of knocks. Realising that no one else was going to get the door, Tari pushed herself up and stuffed her feet in her slippers.

_How is it that Damon always wakes up when I'm trying to leave, but when someone is at the door he magically stays asleep? _Tari grumbled as she went down the stairs. _Bloody selective hearing if you ask me. _

Once she got to the door, she unlocked it and flung it open. A tall, stunningly gorgeous blonde was standing at the door. Her skin was clear, her blue eyes bright and filled with unwavering joy. _How can someone be so bright this morning? _Tari wondered. "_Surprise!_" she yelled, and Tari leapt about a foot in the air.

"Ohmigod, I'm so sorry!" the blonde said. She stepped forward, her hand on Tari's shoulder. She smiled comfortingly. "I was expecting it to be Elena or Stefan or Damon. I mean they usually get up when I knock, but they must be tired I guess – WAIT!" She gasped again, her blue eyes wide, practically leaving her head. "Are you – oh my God, are you _Tari_? Damon's kid?"

In response Tari pushed the door further open. "That's me," she said a little awkwardly.

The blonde shrieked, hurting Tari's ears. She leapt forward and pulled the girl into a huge hug, almost choking her. "Oh my god!" she said (third time now?). "I can't believe it!" She suddenly shoved Tari in front of her, those blue eyes searching her. "You don't particularly look like Damon – oh, your eyes are like his though! And you have _excellent _bone structure!" she said, lifting Tari's chin to see it properly.

"I'm sorry," Tari said, managing to get a word in edgeways. "Who are you?"

"Oh I'm sorry!" the blonde said, giggling. "I'm Caroline, Caroline Forbes. I was high school with Stefan and Elena, though I've known Elena since we were like, five years old."

"Forbes, as in Liz Forbes?" Tari asked, thinking of the sheriff – the one that knew about vampires.

"Yeah." Caroline entered the kitchen, rolling her eyes. "I came back with Tyler to surprise her – but the surprise was on me, because as of today my mother left to visit my aunt. She said she'd come back for Christmas, thank God, otherwise more than likely I'd have to spend it with Tyler's mom, and don't get me wrong – I _adore _Tyler and his mother has been good to me, but she can be very trying at times. She likes things done a certain way, y'know? And I don't think she'd believe _anyone _would be good enough for her son." Caroline glanced round the kitchen. "Hey, where's the frying pan?"

Tari wondered whether she should be nervous that this Caroline was going to cook – but then, who was she to stop her? "Up there." Tari said, pointing to the cupboard above the oven. Since Caroline was across the other side of the kitchen, Tari stood up to get it; but in the space of a second Caroline was on the other side of the kitchen with the pan in her hand.

Tari stared at her.

Caroline smiled, undaunted. "What?" she asked.

"You're a vampire?"

"Yeah." Caroline broke into a smile. "Of course, they must not have told you. I'm sorry, I didn't realise you didn't know. Yeah, I was turned about seventeen years ago – which means technically I'm about thirty five. Oh God, thirty five. Being a vampire definitely has it upside."

"So are you the one that lives in LA?" Tari asked.

"Yeah. I love LA I do, but it's not the same as your home is it? Plus when a full moon came along we had to get down to the countryside, 'cause let's face it, we wouldn't be able to keep a werewolf in the apartment-"

"_Werewolf?" _

Caroline missed the bowl, cracking the egg on the side. Quickly she scooped it off the table and threw it in the waste disposal. "They didn't tell you?"

"There are _werewolves?_" Since when were there werewolves? _How _could there be werewolves? She had never heard howls during the night. But then, why should she be so surprised? There were vampires and witches, why couldn't there be werewolves too? Maybe Sawyer's comment about angels wasn't completely off the mark. Who knew? Maybe angels, fairies, goblins and other mythical creatures existed. She should start asking – but she had never thought to _ask _about werewolves.

"Not many," Caroline answered, mixing the eggs in the pan. "Vampires have managed to exterminate werewolves, because werewolves are only strong during the full moon. One bite of a werewolf can kill a vampire. Thankfully none of us have ever been bitten*, but it's still a danger."

"And you're dating one?" she asked, a little sceptical.

"We've been dating on and off for a long time. It was only about five years ago that we've managed to stay committed. The transformations aren't bad now; as werewolves get older it gets easier." Caroline scooped the eggs onto a plate as the toast popped out. She arranged them carefully on a plate and placed it in front of Tari, smiling brightly at the girl. "Eat up!"

Tari glanced at the plate and back at Caroline. "You're making it for me?"

"You have school don't you? And are you on Christmas break?" Caroline asked, her eyebrows scrunched together in concern.

"Yeah, I have school." She began to cut the toast. "Thanks."

Caroline shrugged. "Usually I have to make Tyler breakfast – though, according to him, I don't make it as good as his mother." She snorted. "As if _she _ever bothered to make him breakfast! I bet they had a chef that made all the delicious bacon and fried eggs-"

"This is really good," Tari interrupted. She realised quickly – as most people did with Caroline – that she could go off on rants now and then, and thought it probably best to cut her off before she went on another one.

Caroline beamed at Tari. "Y'know, you're nothing like Damon."

Tari simply smiled at her. _I don't know about that. _

"Caroline?" Elena had appeared at the bottom of the stairs and was now staring her friend. Caroline squealed and rushed over, hugging Elena tightly. The dark-haired vampire couldn't help but smile at her friend's enthusiasm. Caroline and Elena emailed and talked on the phone often – after all, they thought it best to communicate and therefore know something strange was going on.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked, leading Caroline to the counter.

"It's nearly Christmas – of course I'd come home," Caroline said. "Tyler's back too – we should all have dinner and catch up!"

"Sure," said Elena, who looked back at Tari. "You two have met?"

"I answered the door," Tari said, swallowing a mouthful of eggs and toast. "Why didn't you hear it?"

"Stefan and I were...preoccupied," Elena said, her face blushing but pleased nevertheless.

Caroline let out high-pitched giggles. "_Don't_," Tari groaned. "I'm eating here, I do not want that image in my head."

"So you and Stefan are good then?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, we're good. What about you and Tyler? You two still okay?"

"'Course," Caroline said with a grin. "We've been great actually. Every time I try to go out with anyone else I always find myself comparing them to Tyler. And the _sex_. I don't know whether it's the fact that I'm a vampire and he's a werewolf, but it's-"

"And on that note..." Tari interrupted, standing. "I'm going to get ready for school. Thanks for breakfast," she called to Caroline as she ascended up the stairs.

Caroline turned back to Elena, beaming. "She's so cute!" she cried. "I can't believe that's Tari! And Damon's her father? I mean, she's so polite! She doesn't seem to be anything like Damon at all."

"I don't know," said Elena, grinning slightly. "You haven't heard about things she's done yet."

"Before we get into that," Caroline interrupted. "Have you and Bonnie talked?"

Elena sent Caroline a dark gaze. "If we're getting into this, I need coffee." She stood up and started it. "Do you want some blood?"

"Sure, thanks. And coffee too, if you don't mind."

She handed her friend the blood bag and lean against the counter. "No, I haven't talked to Bonnie. And I'm not going to."

Caroline sipped her blood bag, and Elena could tell she was trying to be tactful – something that didn't always come quite naturally to Caroline. "Things have gotten way out of hand," she said carefully. "Me you and Bonnie were like, inseparable for years. We can't just give up on a friendship like that."

"I wanted to remain friends with Bonnie," Elena pointed out. "She was the one who ended it."

"But you could make it better," suggested Caroline.

"Bonnie hates what I _am_. How can you get over something like that?"

"Bonnie got past it with me."

"But that's different," Elena reminded her. "She accepted you-"

"Not at first!"

"But she accepted you nonetheless because it wasn't your choice to become a vampire. She hates the choice that I've made."

"And it has nothing to with Jeremy?" asked Caroline carefully.

Elena sighed as she passed the coffee to her friend. "Not exactly. The thing with Jeremy just stopped me from trying with her."

Caroline shrugged. "Well I'm making the rounds. I'm visiting Matt – it's so good that he's manager of The Grill now! And obviously I've seen you guys. So I might as well pop in and see Bonnie too."

Elena didn't try to talk her friend out of it. "Good luck."

During this reunion of friends Damon was sleeping soundly. He had been sleeping pretty deeply recently – probably because Tari hadn't been trying to sneak out during the night – so he hadn't heard Caroline. And he didn't hear Tari as she entered his bedroom. Picking up another pillow, she hit Damon over the head with it.

The vampire jerked upwards in surprise. "Wha-?" he asked, his eyes landing on his daughter.

"That's for not telling me about werewolves," Tari informed him. She walked back out the door, preparing for school.

Damon lifted his arm up in her direction, momentarily speechless. "How is this my fault?" he moaned, putting the pillow back over his head. _'Vampires can't procreate' – trust me to be an exception to the rule. _

**xXx **

"Werewolves?" Allen slammed his locker shut. "There are werewolves?"

Tari shrugged as they began walking down the hall. "I figured you would know if no one else would."

"I didn't know about werewolves," Allen admitted. "My mom's journal was early, when she was first discovering magic. If there were any others, I didn't find them. Hell my mom would kill me if she knew I read the first one."

"I shouldn't be surprised," Tari said, shaking her head. "They're and vamps and witches, why can't there be wolves too?"

"And you said that a werewolf bite is _fatal _to a vampire?" He glanced at Tari. "What does that mean to you?"

Tari lifted her shoulders as the turned the corner to reach her locker. "I don't know. I get really sick? It _could _kill me?"

"What could kill you?" Sawyer asked as they reached their lockers. She held out the herbal tea and coffee and both Tari and Allen took theirs gratefully.

"A werewolf bite," Tari explained.

"Werewolves?" Both Liam and Sawyer gave Tari their full attention. "There are _werewolves_ now?"

"Yep," said Allen. He smirked, he couldn't help but smile. "So let's not have a mission during a full moon, okay?"

"Noted," Liam said, pulling out his books.

"Let's not have another mission for a long time though, agreed?" asked Tari. "Damon's _finally _let me off the hook for the last one, I don't want to be on house arrest again."

"No missions near Christmas!" commanded Sawyer. "Forget Vs, Wis and even Weres; its Christmas and we're going to have some fun."

"Well I need a trip to the mall," said Tari. "I need to get Stefan and Elena something. Its times like this I miss New York – you can find anything for anyone there."

"Yeah, our mall definitely doesn't have everything," agreed Sawyer. "What're getting them?"

"I have no idea," admitted Tari. "I guess I'll find something there."

"What about your dad?" Liam asked.

"I already have his present. What about you guys?"

"Just Mom and Dad," Sawyer answered. "I should find something easily for them."

"Easy for you," snorted Liam. "I have parents, plus a brother and sister. I'm not particularly looking forward to Jamie coming back. He's always bossing me around, calling me 'little brother' and-"

"But you _are _his little brother," Sawyer said, laughing.

"So? I'm used to being the big brother in the house."

"What are you doing for Christmas Al?" Tari asked, trying to stop a pointless argument between Liam and Sawyer.

He shook his head. "Just me, my mom and Grandpa." He smiled, but Tari could tell it was a little forced. "Christmas isn't really a big event in our household."

_I don't really want it to be a big deal_, Tari thought. It was the first Christmas without her mother. Usually she was able to push the sadness out of her mind after a few minutes – but this was _Christmas_. Christmas had been Tari's favourite time of year. She remembered when she was younger Damon visiting during the holidays, but those visits had come less frequent. Usually they went down to Tari's grandmother's house. Her grandfather was sometimes there, but not often. Still they would have a good time. Tari and her mother would come early to decorate the tree; on Christmas Eve they would all sit by the fire drinking hot chocolate, gazing at the brightly wrapped presents underneath the tree with mounting excitement; pulling crackers at the dinner table... She wondered whether her aunt would miss her now. Her grandmother probably didn't even remember her. _Poor Aunt Isabel_, Tari thought with a pang of regret. _She's the only Snow left now. Even I'm not one any longer. _

Yes, she really didn't want Christmas to be a big one. But what she didn't know was that she was fighting fate: as she thought this Caroline burst through the door of the boarding house, thoroughly shocking Stefan and Damon, the former half-dozing on the sofa.

"Good news guys!" Caroline called brightly, strutting into the living room.

"The planet of barbies have found you and they're willing to take you-"

"Shut it," said Caroline, holding her hand in front of Damon's mouth. Damon rolled his eyes at Stefan, who simply smiled them both. Caroline and Damon were surprisingly close despite what happened between them in the beginning. But ever since Damon had helped rescue her from the werewolves and again from being sacrificed by Klaus, things had changed. You couldn't go through something like that without a bond forming, and all of them who had survived the original had formed that bond. That was why Caroline found it so strange that Bonnie could just cut them out of their lives.

"I just got off the phone with my mom, and she wants to spend Christmas over at her sister's. I said what was the point in spending Christmas in a place that isn't your home? So I told my mother not to worry, I am spending Christmas with you lot!"

Stefan beamed. "The more the merrier."

Damon paused for a moment, deliberating. "Fine, just don't go overboard okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't go insane. It's just Christmas, nothing more. A normal Christmas."

"Oh of course," Caroline said, smiling easily. She glanced in the corner of the living room, her eyes narrowing, murmuring to herself. Damon sent a look of alarm to his brother, who glanced worriedly at their friend. "Now I'm thinking the first Christmas tree should go right there."

"The first Christmas tree?" asked Stefan, a little worry tingeing his voice.

"Yeah. Look, this house is so big you need more than one. Personally I would like this one to be the biggest and ideally pink, but we can have the pink one somewhere else if you want. I'm assuming both of you are going to do the cooking since we don't want a disaster on our hands, so let's start on a list. I'll grab a pen and paper and we can organise." She gave a little squeal, like a hyper chipmunk before leaving. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"

Damon turned to his brother. "'The more the merrier'? That was a brilliant idea Stef. One of your best ever."

"C'mon Damon. Having Caroline here will make this Christmas even better. She's the one who pays attention to the little details."

Damon sent Stefan a knowing look. "In Caroline's case the little details turn into big details."

**xXx**

Friday was the last day of school, and most students were hyper. Elena told Tari that on the last day before Christmas break the seniors snuck alcohol inside the school or drank some before school. Tari found that easy to believe; one girl in the hall was leant against the lockers, unable to stand because she was laughing so much – at a bent paperclip it seemed, of all things. Another boy was being calmed down by teachers after sobbing hysterically that he had lost his feet. "God knows what he's taken," Sawyer said.

"It's so unfair," Liam said, gazing outside the window. "_We _could be acting like that, but no, _we're _stuck inside revising for our stupid history exam. Why the hell did it have to be on the last day?"

"What, history doesn't come as easy as maths?" teased Tari. It was good to see Liam struggling with the history question while Tari breezed through it. History could always be counted on to be her saving grace.

Liam sent her a smirk. "Bet I can still beat you."

"We'll see."

"And you say Lee and I fight," Sawyer said calmly, her eyes on the book. Tari didn't know why Sawyer bothered revising; there was no doubt that she aced all her classes, and Allen usually did well in his too. Liam struggled with history and English, but he could usually do well in the scientific subjects. Tari was the opposite. Neither of them was so confident that they would get perfect grades, and in consequence were stressed. At least it was nearly over.

"Maybe Liam just fights with everyone," Allen said. Liam smacked him on the arm; Allen chucked a pencil at him, but it missed and hit Tari; Tari then threw a rubber back; before they knew it bits of paper were being flicked back and forth.

"Stop it," Sawyer said, catching a piece of scrunched up paper as it flew through the air.

Liam gave her an appraising look. "Nice skills Sawyer."

"He started it," Tari said, pointing at Liam who stuck his tongue out at her.

"I don't care who started it, I'll finish it." Sawyer remained firm until Liam flicked a pencil her way. That started it over again. Five minutes later the four of them were kicked out the library for causing a disturbance. They tried to care, they did, but they couldn't quite manage it, still smiling. After all, it _was _nearly Christmas.

The history exam was easier than expected. Tari was finished fifteen minutes early, and she stared out the window. It was so peaceful, the sound of pen's scraping against paper against the quiet. Yet this wasn't what she wanted. Not really. She wanted to be distracted so her mind couldn't go there. To Christmas.

Yes, she adored Christmas. Yes, she was somewhat glad she was going to be spending it with her father this year. But she was experience a nagging feeling. Last night a thought had crept into her mind, one that she told herself was stupid and yet entertained the notion even so. She _wanted _to do it, she knew she did. But at the same time she didn't want to ruin Christmas for other people. She also knew that she would have to run the idea past Damon and, Damon being Damon, he would probably say no. As usual.

_It doesn't have to be on Christmas, _she told herself. That brightened her a little bit. Maybe if it wasn't on Christmas Day Damon would allow it.

"And...pencils down folks," Mr Saltzman called. "Test is over."

There were some sighs but most people smiled in relief, realising that the exam was finally over. Tari glanced over to Liam who raised an eyebrow. He shrugged slightly. She smiled and he quirked a corner of his mouth before shrugging. _I've done all I can, _it seemed to say. Tari laughed a little – typical Liam.

"Congratulations students, the exams are officially over," Alaric announced, picking up the exam papers as he walked down the classroom. "Now you can enjoy the holidays without stress and worry. I may be the evil history teacher, but even I'm not going to force another assignment down your throat." The bell rung and the students cheered loudly, standing up and one or two even shoving papers on the floor. Some teachers would have been crossed but Alaric smiled. "Have a good Christmas and be prepared to work hard when you get back."

"See you later Mr S," called Tari. Alaric gave her a nod and smile before she left. It felt strange: Alaric was so calm and collected when he was talking to the class, even when he was dealing with disruptive students. She tried to imagine what he would be like holding a stake over a vampire. It didn't seem like Alaric.

Then again, she supposed that his calmness would serve him well during an attack.

"So what's the plan?" Tari asked as they walked home. "Mall tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow," answered Liam. "Jamie's coming back tomorrow."

"Day after," corrected Allen. "I need to get my mom something. God knows what."

"Right, tomorrow," Sawyer agreed. She and Liam turned right, heading towards their houses. "See you then!"

Allen and Tari called out goodbyes. For a few minutes they walked in silence, lost in their own worlds. Tari snuck a glance at Allen: his calm face looked tight, as if he was worrying about something. Allen was always worrying about one thing or another, but this looked different.

"What's Christmas like at yours?" Tari asked.

Allen sighed. "Okay. Not what I'd want them to be."

"Why not?"

He lifted a shoulder. "The ideal Christmas picture is a huge family: a mom and a dad, grandparents, uncle and aunt, brothers and sister. I have my mom, who I love, and my grandpa, but it's not what I'd like." She saw his eyes darken ever so slightly, and she already knew he had gone somewhere else.

"Your dad?" she whispered.

"Yeah." He said it so tightly that it closed off any other questioning. "What about you? Are you dreading it to?"

Tari exhaled. "I'm torn. This would be a brilliant Christmas if... I always wanted Damon to be with us at Christmas. And that picture you have? That ideal Christmas? Well, I have an aunt and uncle, and friends of the family. But... My mom's not there."

"Funny, isn't it?" Allen asked, his tone laced with bitterness. "We both have parts of the perfect picture, but it's not big enough to complete the puzzle."

**xXx **

When Tari arrived at the boarding house, she could hear something coming from the kitchen. Unsure of what it was (in this house it really could be anything) she walked through. She recognised the jittery blonde instantly, but she couldn't see the face of the dark haired man she was kissing. Tari didn't feel embarrassed at walking in on them, not after the initial surprise. Instead she folded her arms and watched them make out. They were acting like teenagers – but then Tari supposed Caroline was, at least in body – almost sucking the faces off each other. Even Elena and Stefan, who made Tari feel a little queasy, weren't this bad.

Caroline must have heard her because she broke off. "Tari," she said, pushing the dark haired guy away. "We didn't hear you."

Tari smiled a little. "Clearly." She turned to the dark haired man. His face wasn't as young as Caroline's, but it still held a certain youthful aura about him. "You must be the werewolf."

He eyed her up and down before smirking. "You must be the hybrid."

He had balls, and clearly wasn't going to treat her that she was a precious little child. Deciding she liked this guy, she said, "That's only my formal name; my friends call me Tari."

The guy stuck out his hand. "Tyler," he replied. "And I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Caroline pouted. "But you only got here, like, five minutes ago."

"An hour ago Car, and I'm sorry but I have to. It's my mom," he said, as if that was an excuse. He shrugged, looking guilty. "You know what she's like. She wants me to stay in Mystic Falls, and she's using anything she can – which of course is guilt." He kissed her again. "I'll be back soon, okay? I promise, we can spend the whole day together tomorrow."

Damon appeared, walking down the stairs. "Hey kid," he said, wrapping his arm round her shoulders. His gaze, however, remained on Tyler. "You leaving?"

"Yeah. My mother wants me back for dinner."

Damon gave a mock sigh, rolling his eyes. "Are you ever going to stand up to her Ty?"

"I will when you do," Tyler said, smirking.

He laughed a little. "Alright, fair point." As Tyler moved pass they locked hands, almost as if it was a hand shake. Yet there was something more to it. Yes, maybe it was an act of friendship, but it was almost as if there was a bond there. It only lasted for a second, but even so...

"Tell Stefan I said goodbye," he said.

Once Tyler had left Damon turned to Caroline. "Don't pout Caroline, it causes lines."

"I can tell; I see it on your face."

Damon stuck the tip of his tongue out. "Are you still going to help me?"

"Sure."

"What are you doing?" Tari asked.

Damon moved over to the other side of the counter. "We're making home-made pizza. And where is little brother? He's supposed to be helping."

"Why does Stefan need to be here?" asked Caroline, facing Damon.

"He needs to redo the work that you do."

Caroline snorted. "I'm glad to see you have so much faith in my work. I can cook you know."

"Women are useless cooks."

"That's very stereotypical," Tari commented.

Damon turned his blue eyes on her. "Really? I can let Elena make dinner tonight, if that's what you want."

Tari motioned zipping her lips, and even Caroline laughed. No one wanted to let Elena cook; they loved her, just not her food.

When Elena came home an hour later, she could hear voices in the kitchen. By the counter, in a straight line, was Stefan, Caroline and Damon. All three of them were rolling dough out. Stefan's and Damon's looked a good, thin size, but Caroline couldn't seem to roll hers flat.

"This isn't working."

"Here, let me do it-"

"No! You can't do it for me, I need to do it."

"But we've finished ours," Stefan said. "And we need to move on."

"It's not fair," Caroline said, pouting again. "You two are terrible teachers."

Elena sat down next to Tari, who had started eating a bar of chocolate. She had only started one square, because she had wanted to keep herself going. The pizzas had meant to be ready when Elena had come home, but the three of them had spent so much time bickering that they were only half way through.

"Do you think we're going to get dinner any time soon?" Elena murmured lowly to Tari.

"Maybe at nine?" Tari said. "If it's going to any longer I'm insisting we get take away."

Hearing this Damon glowered at her. "It's going to be done in ten minutes."

"Just so you know I'm timing this," Tari threatened.

"Fine. And stop eating chocolate, you're going to spoil your dinner."

"I'm starving!"

"So am I," added Elena, breaking off a square of chocolate and popping it in her mouth. "Seriously you guys, I'm the one who works all day-"

"And what do I do all day?" Tari asked, offended.

"I'm only counting the adults."

"You want dinner now?" Damon glanced out the corner of his eye at Caroline who was being helped by Stefan. "Fine." He blurred away, and all that Tari could see was Caroline and Stefan being shoved backwards. In ten seconds the pizzas lay on the counter, perfectly ready to be placed in the oven.

"_Damon!_" cried Caroline.

"It would have taken forever if I let you have your own way." Damon shoved all five pizzas on a tray and in the oven. "Now these should take about, oh I don't know..." he said, his eyes on Tari, "...ten minutes?"

Tari glowered at Damon while Caroline, also glaring, sat down beside her. "I'm never going to be able to make Italian food," she grumbled.

"You're not even Italian! The Americans always do it wrong."

"Elena, shall I get you a glass of wine?" Stefan asked, his eyes pleading to bring not to get into an argument. But Damon had said the one thing that would always get her angry.

"Is that a dig at my cooking?" she snapped, irked.

Giving in, Stefan poured himself a glass of wine and sat in the living room. After a few minutes Caroline wandered over. "Are they always like this?" she asked. He could tell he was a little shocked at how they argued, how none of them seemed to have any intent on stopping.

"They'll end it soon," he said, turning on the television. "They're just..." Stefan tried to find an excuse for their arguing, but he couldn't; after all, it was just their nature. "It's alright, they're like magpies; easily distracted. Once the food's ready they'll stop."

**xXx **

Caroline knocked on the door and waited. She hated waiting; she wasn't a patient person, and she was nervous. But she couldn't let this argument continue. It had been going on for over sixteen years – both World Wars combined didn't last that long. If she had to be the one to end it, then so be it.

Bonnie opened the door and stopped, staring at Caroline. The second they saw each other memories rushed out at them: Bonnie opening the door when she was five years old, smiling when she saw her two best friends at the door; Caroline grabbing hold of Bonnie at the Eighties dance in Freshmen year and pulling her into a dance, laughing and singing with the song at the same time; all three of them on the bed together at a sleepover, whispering about their crushes (Matt and Tyler featured prominent in this discussion). As the flow of memories slowed, Caroline felt confident; after all, they had a shared past, Bonnie couldn't ignore that.

The witch folded her arms across her chest. "Caroline."

Or maybe she could.

The blonde gave Bonnie a soft smile. "Hi Bonnie. It's good to see you."

Bonnie didn't repeat the notion. Instead she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Caroline chose the simple answer, the honest and easy answer. "Because you're my friend. We haven't spoken in a long time and I miss you. We've been friends for too long to allow it to fail. It's Christmas," she said, lifting her shoulders. "A time of forgiveness."

"I think that's Yom Kippur."

"Are you saying that you don't want us to be friends Bonnie?"

Bonnie drew a breath. "Of course I want to be friends Caroline. But it's not as if you live here anymore, you're in LA." The witch lifted a shoulder, her eyes looking a little regretful. "We have nothing in common anymore."

Caroline's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "We have an entire _past _in common Bonnie. You can't just ignore that."

Bonnie sent her a scathing look. "Don't you think this is hard for me too? You and Elena were my best friends-"

"_Are _your best friends," the blonde said, a note of pleading in her voice. "We still love you Bonnie."

"Why don't you ask Elena?"

Caroline couldn't ignore that. This fight was between Elena and Bonnie, after all. "Be the bigger person Bonnie. Take the first step and maybe you'll work it out."

"Are you serious?" snapped Bonnie. Caroline noticed that this was the first time in the conversation that Bonnie had been angry. Her brown eyes glittered, and she stared accusingly at Caroline as if she had suggested that they join a cult.

"You got used to me and I'm a vampire-"

"You didn't _want _to become a vampire. Elena, she _chose _this life. I'm a witch, I'm meant to stop people getting hurt, from vampires turning humans. As a witch I can't accept the choice she made."

"It's not as if she died Bonnie. She's still Elena."

"She's a vampire, therefore she's not Elena."

"How can you say that Bonnie? That's so close-minded."

"You changed when you transformed."

"For the _better_. Don't you remember what I was like before Bonnie? I was always self-conscious, second guessing myself. I didn't think I was worth anything. But after I became a vampire I got stronger, braver. I didn't worry about little things anymore. I really think that being a vampire made me a better person. Besides," Caroline gave a little laugh, "it gave me and Tyler something to talk about."

Bonnie met Caroline's gaze. In her eyes the vampire could tell she had made no difference to her opinion. "I can't change my beliefs Caroline. It's just not me."

The blonde felt her frustration rise. "Elena has a reason to be mad at you too," she taunted.

Bonnie paled. "Don't go there Caroline."

"You can't expect Elena not to be upset about what happened with Jeremy-"

The next thing Caroline knew, she was on the floor of the porch. In an instant she jumped up, on the attack front. She knew that Bonnie was touchy with Jeremy – hell, Bonnie was touchy about a lot of things – but she didn't think that she would literally blow her to the floor. When she saw the expression on Bonnie's face though, she knew that her friend hadn't meant to do that. Sometimes witches lost control of their power when their emotions went into over-drive.

Nonetheless, Bonnie's voice was firm. "Do _not _talk about Jeremy." Before Caroline could say anything, she slammed the door shut on her.

Caroline stared at the closed door. _So much for helping. _

**xXx **

Damon ran his finger over the spines of the books. Vampire books. He grimaced. He hated how Rebecca had instantly read every book ever written about vampires once she found out that they existed. What worried him, just a little, was that all he could see was fiction books. He knew Rebecca; she would have done more research, _real _research about vampires. Damon knew more than anyone that if you looked hard enough, you could find the truth.

He sighed as he lay on the bed, growing bored. He was waiting to say goodnight to Tari, who was in the bathroom. He wished she would hurry up with shaving her legs – he could hear the hum of the shaver. If she was here he wouldn't have these thoughts curling in his mind, like paper wilting in the flames.

_You should read the letter. _

He had hidden the letter underneath his bedside table, stuck it to the bottom of it, just like Rebecca had done it. He knew he should open it, because there was probably a lot of information Rebecca wanted him to have. But there was other stuff that could be in that letter, things that he didn't want to read: _this is all your fault; I wish I had never met you;_ _I never loved you Damon. _In his sanest moments he knew that she would never write that. Yet whenever he held the letter in his hands, felt the smooth paper on his skin, all the thoughts deep inside his head came out, terrifying him, stopping him from opening the letter. Every time he would shove it back in its hiding place, telling himself that he would do it later, when the time was right.

The time was never right.

At that exact moment Tari stumbled out the bathroom, rubbing her leg. "Stupid bloody shaver," she muttered, flopping on the bed beside him.

Damon pulled her leg into his lap, rubbing it. "Poor thing," he said. He tone was slightly mocking but he still continued to rub the sore spot on her leg.

_Now_. Damon was in a good mood, she could tell by the way he was being touchy-feely. She had bided her time carefully enough, waiting for this moment.

"Damon?"

"Mmm?"

"I was thinking of something that we could do on Christmas Eve."

He looked over, interested. This was the first time she had brought anything up that contained Christmas plans. He knew that this was going to be a difficult time for her; it didn't take a genius to figure that out. If she was contributing ideas than that obviously meant she was feeling more enthusiastic.

Still, this _was _Tari.

"I thought we could go to New York to visit Mom's grave-"

"No."

The denial was so speedy that Tari barely had time to register it. He _couldn't _have had time to even consider it. "But not on Christmas," Tari persisted. "On Christmas Eve – or Boxing Day if you'd prefer."

"No."

Tari sat up, feeling indignation rising. "But – I haven't even _seen _her grave yet. I didn't even get to go to her funeral." It was a little thing that irked Tari every now and then. Her mother's funeral had been a week after her accident – when Tari was still in the numb, grief, doing-nothing-all-day-and-not-even-realising-it stage. Admittedly she had not even noticed that she had missed the funeral until weeks later. When she asked Damon why he hadn't taken her, he had said, "You were upset and confused; I didn't want to hurt you even more." Tari could understand it, she guessed, but it still upset her. It would have been nice to hear all the good things people had to say about her. Perhaps it would have helped her move on a little more.

She couldn't turn back time; but she could visit her grave.

"No," Damon repeated.

"When then?" snapped Tari.

"Soon."

"Give me a time limit. Some indication of when I'll be able to visit."

"I don't know," Damon said simply. "But not on Christmas Eve, or Boxing Day, or Christmas Day – or any time this year."

The note of finality in his voice told Tari that there was no hope of appeal. She tried to pull away, furious at him. But he still had her leg in his lap. When he felt her pull away instead he pulled her forward, and with his strength he managed to get her his lap. He wrapped his arm round her, holding her close to him. She struggled; she was like him, couldn't bear to be touched when she was annoyed, especially by the person who had annoyed her in the first place.

"I know you're upset. I understand. But this is the first Christmas without her." She felt Tari tense. "You need to move on. Visiting her grave isn't going to do that." Glancing down he saw a tear falling from her eye. It almost made him give in.

Almost.

He reached down and wiped it off her face. "I'm sorry," he said, and meant it. But he wasn't sorry enough to agree to it. They weren't going to Rebecca's grave. He wouldn't allow that. "When you're ready, we'll go. I promise. But not now."

He sat with her for a while, holding her. Making sure she was okay, that she wasn't going to cry herself to sleep. He could remember those nights early on when she had sobbed almost every night, desperate for her mother. He had hated it. That wasn't going to happen again. Tari was healed now. He did not want to take her to Rebecca's grave and open up that wound again.

After half an hour of silence he finally lifted her off, moving her under the covers, wrapping them round her carefully as if she was a present. He then kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight," he murmured before turning off the light and shutting the door.

The one thing he hadn't been able to do was look her in the eye.

**xXx **

Caroline burst through the door, a habit that she seemed to grow fond of. The tree was up in the corner of the room, waiting to be decorated (and thankfully was not pink). Damon, Stefan and Elena had just finished carrying the boxes of decorations down, and were taking a break on the sofa. "Oh good, you're here," Caroline said breathlessly. None of the trio knew exactly who she was referring to.

She sat down on the coffee table opposite them. It was then that Damon noted that Caroline hadn't arrived empty-handed; quite the opposite. Instead she was carrying at least a dozen bags, and Damon dreaded to think how many other bags she had hidden inside the bigger ones.

"Jesus Caroline," said Elena, a little alarmed. "Did you buy out the mall?"

Caroline looked at Elena as if she was insane. "Of course not. I wouldn't buy out the Mystic Falls mall; it's got nowhere near the amount of good stores and too many sports ones. No, I was shopping for presents and I saw this adorable grey top that I thought would suit Tari perfectly and then these shoes to match, and _then _I noticed she didn't have a watch so-"

"Wait a minute." Damon sat up. "Are you saying – are _all _these things for Tari?"

"Don't be stupid Damon," said Caroline. She rolled her eyes towards him as she pulled out a tiny little blue one in another big one. "This one's for me."

Damon put his hand to his head, closing her eyes. "Caroline, I – it's great that you've got her all this, but I'm trying not to spoilt her. You've got her way too much."

The blonde folded her arms. "She's had a very difficult year Damon."

"I know that Caroline," said Damon. There was a notable touch of annoyance in his voice.

"If a few presents will make this year a little less miserable then who are we to say no? You don't get to make every decision for her."

"Apparently he does," Elena muttered under her breath; she knew well enough that when you're surrounded by vampires nothing is unheard. Damon sent her a scathing look.

Caroline of course couldn't resist. "What are you talking about?"

"Shut up Elena," growled Damon.

"You don't tell me what to do," she snapped. Stefan sighed, turning his head away, wishing Elena and Damon and Tari even did not have the energy to fight. Elena turned her attention to Caroline. "Tari wanted to go the New York to see her mother's grave. Damon said no."

Eyes widened, Caroline turned her attention to the dark-haired vampire. "You didn't!"

Damon put his feet up on the coffee table, knowing it would annoy Elena. "It's my decision."

"And it's a bad one," Caroline said.

"Told you," Elena said, looking – in Damon's opinion – horrendously smug.

"If that's what she wants to do then fine! We could spend Christmas in New York. It's so pretty during Christmastime; all the snow and everything..." She lost herself in a dream. Damon could practically see inside her head: how she would be walking in Central Park in a thick white fur coat or at a party on the Empire State Building. He shook his head – it was scary how he could read Caroline's mind.

"Maybe in a few years," Damon said. "Not this year."

"But she wants to go," Caroline said. "What's the harm?"

"No."

"Why?"

"She's not ready. If we go it'll just set her back, remind her of Rebecca and make her upset again. Once she's ready, I'll even book the ticket."

Damon saw the blonde send a look to the Elena. There was something in that look, something that indicated they had superior knowledge to Damon. He felt his irritation grow. He suddenly wanted to go for a drive, to leave the other three behind and just allow himself to think for a while. Or rather drink. Yes, he would enjoy a drink.

"I'm her father," he said, his trump card. "It's my decision."

"Yes," Stefan agreed when he saw Elena was about to speak. He raised his eyebrows at her, reminding her that they needed to take the higher road. Elena let out an irritable sigh but said nothing, conceding that he was right. "You know what's best for her."

"Thank you," said Damon, sending a look to Elena and Caroline.

"Fine," said Caroline, holding her hands up. "But I'm still giving her the presents."

**xXx **

On the night of December 23rd Tari slept fitfully. If a person was watching her they would see her twitching, making odd movements now and again. There was a frown over her face. A few moments later she pushed herself up, awake and heart hammering. In a second she remembered it was a dream, that she was safe under the covers of her bed, and collapsed back down.

Glancing at the clock, she saw it was nearly Christmas Eve. Her stomach tightened almost painfully. She didn't know what would happen today, what Damon had planned. She was sure it would be nice and that she would have a good time, but...

It was sad. Her mother would be spending Christmas alone. Maybe her Aunt Isabel would visit, but even if she did, Tari knew it wouldn't last long. She was probably going off with her boyfriend to his house, wherever that was. There would be her mother's grave, standing there in the snow. It made Tari feel lonely inside, that her mother was alone.

_Screw it. _She stood up quick and then realised that she might be making too much noise. Damon _couldn't_ hear her. If he found out what she was doing... She had to be quiet – no, _silence_. She deliberately did everything slowly, and stood still for a minute or so, hoping that if anyone heard something they would think it just the house.

She dressed for cold weather: she wore jeans and her long brown boots with fur in them. She put on two layers of shirts and a purple hoodie, a woolly scarf and a purple and blue hat. She admired her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a New Yorker – a quirky New Yorker.

Tari didn't let herself believe it until she managed to get to the train station. She shouldn't have made it; Damon woke up briefly as she was dressing, glancing up sleepily. He probably would have gotten up if he hadn't heard a voice whispering in his ear. _Damon... _The voice was soothing to him, and he closed his eyes and fell straight back to sleep.

She managed to buy two tickets, one that dropped her off at a bigger station that would take her to New York – take her home. She couldn't stop moving, practically dancing in her seat, though she didn't fully relax until she was actually on the train.

_I'm going home. I'm actually going _home. _I can't believe this. _

_I'm going to see Mom. _

**xXx **

Damon could smell someone cooking the second he woke up. Panicking – many times he had woken up with Elena burning something and/or almost setting the kitchen alight – he rushed downstairs.

Caroline almost threw the frying pan at him. "What the hell?" she shrieked in surprise.

"And you call yourself a vampire?" Damon scoffed. He glanced down at the kitchen, and was a little worried that there seemed to be a lot of equipment out. He tried to calm himself; Caroline _had _proven herself in the kitchen, managing to make Tari breakfast when she had been in school. He shouldn't be worried when someone was cooking in the kitchen. Living with Elena had ruined his faith of others people cooking. "What are you making?"

Caroline grinned, going to the warming oven and gently lifting out a plate. "I made pancakes – in the shape of gingerbread men!" She unveiled them with flare. Damon had to admit they looked pretty good: she gave them little chocolate drops as buttons, blueberries for eyes, a nose and a smile, and strawberries as shoes.

"How much time have you spent on this?" Damon asked, sitting on the stool.

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Do you want one or not?"

As she piled two on his plate he asked, "So what plans do you have for today?"

"Well since I know how you feel about gambling I was thinking we could have a few games of cards."

"Newmarket," Damon said. "I've played poker too much recently."

"Fine. Ooh, and I got Twister too!" Caroline cried, her eyes lighting up.

Damon widening his eyes sarcastically. "I am so not playing Twister."

"Yes you are."

"You can't make me."

"Oh sweetie," she said, batting her eyes lashes and sending him a sweet grin. "You really think you have any power against me?"

She didn't, not even when she was playing cute. Only two women had power over him, and Caroline was not one of them. Damon didn't have the heart to break it to her, so he stood up. "I'll go get Tari. She'll want to try some of these pancakes."

"See," Caroline called as Damon left while Elena and Stefan came downstairs. "I can cook!"

Stefan smiled, shaking his head. "Happy Christmas Eve."

"You too Stefan." She put two gingerbread men pancakes on Stefan and Elena's plates.

Elena sipped her orange juice. "I've been meaning to ask," she said. The girl paused, trying not to sound too eager. "Did you see Bonnie?"

Caroline hid a smile. _I knew that Elena wants to be friends. And I _know _Bonnie does, even if she's too proud to admit it. Still, _the blonde thought, frowning. _It doesn't really solve any problems right now. _"Yeah I did."

Elena lifted her eyebrow. "Doesn't sound promising."

"You know Bonnie; she's stubborn."

"She clearly doesn't have any problem with leaving things the way they are."

"She'll weaken," Caroline said, but it was more wishful thinking than anything else. She would have to do something to break the ice, because Bonnie would not come crawling to them on her own. Problem was, Caroline didn't have the faintest clue how to do it.

"It's been sixteen years," said Elena, placing a piece of pancake in her mouth. "I think it's clear that she can hold a grudge."

They were interrupted by thunderous footsteps down the stairs. Instantly they all turned their heads to see Damon stride forward, his face like a thundercloud. "I don't believe this," growled Damon. "I fucking don't _believe _this."

"What?" Elena looked from Stefan and Caroline, back to Damon.

Stefan's mind was already there. "Where's Tari?"

"Three guesses," growled Damon, pacing.

Stefan shook his head. "I knew this was going to happen."

"You could have told me that!"

"She's in New York?" Caroline asked. "When?"

"She must have gone last night," Damon said, shaking his head. "I let my guard down. I thought-"

_I thought that this was over. I didn't think I had to watch her all the time. _

"How do you know?" asked Elena.

"She left me a note." He threw it at her. Elena had to unravel it; it seemed that Damon had been unable to keep it in its smooth condition.

_Damon, _

_DO NOT BE MAD__. Okay? Are you calm now? Probably not. _

_I want to see Mom's grave. I don't need to, but I want to. It's nearing six months since she died. What kind of child doesn't visit their mother's grave? _

_You can punish me when I get back – and I AM coming back. I should be back in the evening. I promise. _

_Love, _

_Tari _

_xoxo _

"Well," Elena said after a moment. "At least she told you where she had gone. She did promise that she's coming back. If this was any other situation," she said, putting the letter on the counter. "I'd say that this...isn't so bad."

"But this isn't an ordinary situation and Tari isn't an ordinary kid," Damon informed her, pacing up and down the kitchen. He faced Elena. "You know that every time Tari steps out that door, she puts herself in danger. Do any of you _know _how hard it is to let her go, knowing that?"

Elena sat straighter. "But all she sees is you being a protective father. If you told her-"

"No."

"Then you can't expect anything to change!" snapped Elena. "If you want her to do what you say, if you want her trust you, then in turn you have to be honest with her."

"I'm her father," Damon said. "I make the decisions."

"If Rebecca was here," Elena said, "she would have told her."

A silence gasp went in the room. Stefan stood up, wanting to be on his feet if things got rough; Caroline backed away. Even she, who had only met Rebecca a few times and hadn't, like the other two, seen Damon fall head first in love, knew that Elena had crossed a line. If Elena knew that it didn't show on her face, but she too stood up.

Damon's face was a mask of indifference – at least, to strangers. But Stefan, Elena, Caroline – they knew him, better than he liked to think they did. They could see the anger burning in his eyes.

When he spoke his voice was soft and low, but none of them could fail to hear the imperative behind it. "Don't go there, Elena."

"Rebecca would have trusted Tari to make the decision herself-"

In an instant Damon was in front of Elena. When Elena had been human, this action may have scared her; it may have stopped her from saying things that made him angry. But Elena was now a vampire, and she knew she could match Damon blow for blow if it came to it.

"Do _not_ go there." He said it slower this time, as if Elena was a little child that did not understand. "_You _are not her mother. _You _do not make the decisions about Tari. _You _could never be Rebecca."

He didn't know whether those words hurt Elena or not – he had hoped that they did. Elena would never have children; not just because she was a vampire, but because if she had, she would have given Klaus another chance at the sacrifice – something that none of them were willing to do.

The room was thick with tension, as if it was the scene of a film. A second later Damon whizzed out of sight, but all three vampires could hear him upstairs.

"He's going after Tari," Caroline said softly.

"Of course he is." Stefan turned on his wife. "What were you _thinking_?"

Elena, still in the mood for an argument, fired back at him, "He's going about it the wrong way, Stef. You know it."

"Maybe he is," Stefan said a little unwillingly. "But he's right: Tari is his daughter. And you know better than to mention Rebecca to him. You _know _how much it hurts him."

They saw a shape flutter in the hall and the door slam. Stefan went towards it, following his brother. "I'm going with him," he called.

"Stefan-" began Elena, but he cut her off.

"We'll talk when I get back," he said. He didn't mean to be cruel, but he knew Damon was heading to the train station after Tari, and he had to catch up to him. He slammed the door closed, and the kitchen remained eerily quiet.

**xXx **

As soon as Tari stepped onto the streets of New York, she knew she was where she belonged.

How she had missed it, she couldn't even tell you! The streets were cold and damp, but the way Tari saw them, it seemed as if they were made of gold. She walked with a spring in her step, and smiled at everyone who passed – some who gave her strange looks, for it seemed odd that a girl would smile at them like that. Tari didn't even care that some of them didn't smile back; she was just happy to be there. She ravaged a hot dog that she had bought from a vendor as if she hadn't eaten for years. She moved down to Brooklyn, where there was a tiny little bookshop that she had gone to with her mother. She spent only an hour there, and finally purchased a book – a little Christmas present to herself.

As she placed it in her bag, she realised that she had Damon's present inside. She had wrapped it last night, and she couldn't even remember why she had put it in her bag. Stroking the silver paper, she began to feel guilty.

_It wasn't as if you hadn't tried_, she told herself. _It's not your fault he said no. _

Thinking of Damon reminded her of why she had come here in the first place. New York suddenly didn't seem so magical anymore. Maybe it never had been. Maybe it had been her _mother _that was magical, not the city.

It made her want to cry – after all, that magic could never return.

**xXx **

"Damon." Stefan's voice seemed a great distance away. Maybe it was – he was going at such speed that it was quite possible that Stefan's voice was being carried away too. "Slow down."

Damon pressed down on the accelerator, speeding the car even faster down the road.

His brother sighed. "Damon, please calm down."

"How can I calm down Stefan?" he asked, his voice low. "Elena-"

"Will apologise. She's knows what she said was cruel."

"It's not that. Well it is, but its Tari." Just her name made him grip the wheel even harder. "Why did she go? Why the _hell _couldn't she do what I said!"

"Because she's you," Stefan said patiently. "She's independent like you; you said yourself she always had been. She doesn't expect people to solve her problems, she almost doesn't _want _them to. She's private, always has been. She doesn't like to ask for help. And she's like you, which means that she doesn't like people telling her what to do. And again, like you, she doesn't always think of the consequences of her actions, she acts on impulses.

"She loved her mother," Stefan said, stating the obvious. "Think about it Damon: her mother was the only constant in her world. I'm not saying that you were a bad parent, but the fact is you were here solving one problem after another and she was in New York. You weren't there when she came home from school or when she woke up in the morning-"

"Are you _trying _to make me feel bad?" snapped Damon.

"No. I-" Stefan heaved a sigh, putting his hand to his face. "I'm not explaining this right. What I _mean _is that Rebecca was. Rebecca was there for every single moment in Tari's life, and now-" He saw his brother's face flinch. "Well, you know what I mean. Now Tari has to live without her. You do too, but Damon, you've done it for years. Tari's just learning to. You can't get mad at her for wanting to have one part of her mother again, wanting to feel close to her for a little while."

Damon gritted his teeth. "I know," he said after a moment. "I know it's hard for her."

"She's used to being free. And I get it. I know that you need to protect her. But she doesn't understand. Fine," he said as Damon began to speak. "It's your choice whether you want to tell her or not. But you can't expect her not to try and break your grasp. You can't hang onto her forever."

"Yes I can," snapped Damon. The thought of Tari leaving, even if she was just going to college, terrified him. It scared the hell out of him.

Stefan gave up. He hoped that he had planted some seeds of wisdom in his brother's mind, that his words would take effect once Damon mulled them over. As they pulled up at the train station the brothers got out the car.

"I'll walk back."

Damon looked surprised. "I thought you were coming."

"No. You and Tari need to do this alone." Damon stared at his brother for a moment before nodding. He started towards the entrance when Stefan called him back.

His brother's face was serious. "Tari is ready for this Damon. I think we _both_ know who's not."

**xXx **

Tari knew which cemetery that her mother would have been buried in. Her grandfather was buried there, and she knew her mother would be resting beside him.

She couldn't remember exactly where their graves were, but she didn't mind. Naturally the cemetery was quiet at this time, and the blanket of snow only enhanced it. It seemed as if there was no one else on the _planet _but her. A year ago this would have bugged her, the New Yorker was used to people around her always. But the Mystic Falls girl adored the quiet; it gave her space to think, to collect her thoughts.

She looked at all the names on the graves. Some looked worn down, as if they hadn't been visited in years; others were brand new, as if they had been buried yesterday. She wandered down the graves, finding it comforting to see all the names there. It was like one big extended family. Tari liked the thought of her mother being part of it.

She froze when she saw her grandfather's grave. She knew which grave would be next. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath as if it would give her more strength, and walked a step forward.

The name _Rebecca Snow_ was scratched on a white headstone. She moved her hand over the top of it, as if she was touching her mother. But her mother had always been warm, and the headstone was ice cold. She wiped the snow off the top of it, and placed a single yellow rose that she had bought on top.

At the bottom the words, _Loving daughter and mother_ stood out. Tari grimaced. That was so common – her mother wasn't common; she wouldn't have wanted something like that. She would want something like _not really dead _or _crazy girl buried here. _Aunt Isabel had probably chosen it. Clearly she hadn't given it too much thought. In fact Tari thought her mother would prefer to be cremated. The thought of her body decaying... Tari shook herself. She didn't want to think of her mother like that.

"Hi Mom," she murmured. "I miss you." The stone didn't answer. Tari sighed. People probably thought she was crazy.

Then again, she bet she wasn't the only who felt close to the person they loved here.

"It's strange, not waking up and going down stairs to find you. It feels weird. I mean, I'm getting used to it. It's good to go down and find Damon." She smiled sadly. "I always wanted to wake up and find him there, remember? Sometimes I would keep my eyes tightly closed, pretending I could hear him. He was never there though. Of course he's here now though. It's funny: he's here now and you're gone. Why is it I could never have the both of you?

"This Christmas is going to be weird. Remember the last one, where Aunt Isabel nearly set the tablecloth alight? I laughed so hard..." She closed her eyes, almost picturing it. Almost _feeling _it.

"I can't believe how long it's been," she whispered. "It feels like I have spent years away from you.

"It scares me Mom. I'm forgetting you. I read somewhere that your eyes can't exactly remember what they see after about ten seconds, and it goes every second. I can't quite remember how the sun shone on your hair, or how many freckles you had on your face. And my hearing's no better: I can't remember how your laugh sounded. It was so beautiful, no one realises it, and it's so fleeting...

"I'm going to forget you, and that kills me. I can't stop it. And it's not fair. Some people go through their entire lives without losing so much as a maternal grandmother, and I go and lose one of my parents. Thing was I never had both of you anyway."

She realised time was speeding up, and that she would miss her train if she didn't leave soon. She wasn't in a hurry to go home and be yelled at her by her father, but it would be even worse if she came back late. "I have to go," she murmured. "I love you though. Don't forget it. And I promise I'll come and visit as soon as I can."

Slowly she began to trudge back towards the exit, back towards the train station and Mystic Falls. It was curiously hard to turn her back on her mother's grave. She felt tears prick her eyes. _Stop it! _Tari told herself, furious for being so silly. _It's just a stone. It's not really your mother. _

As she passed each grave she took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to think of happier thoughts: like hanging out with Allen, Sawyer and Liam at their spot by the lagoon – a place which, sadly, they hadn't been too for ages because of the cold weather – and the sound the fire made as it burnt wood, and lying in her warm bed at night.

Eventually it calmed her so she didn't feel like crying anymore. Hopefully she looked normal as she walked down, finally out the cemetery gates and heading towards the station.

Tari turned the corner, trying to think about how long it would take her to get to the train station, and instantly banged into someone. It was her own fault, for not looking where she was going. But the person gripped her arms tightly, and in that instant Tari knew who it was – who it always was.

Damon stared at her, those light blue eyes of his seemingly made of ice.

"I'm sorry," Tari said immediately. It did seem the best way to start things off, especially when Damon was menacing.

He didn't say anything; he just stared at her. Tari tried to imagine what was going on in his head, but as always trying to read Damon's mind was like trying to read Latin – only geniuses could go it. She began to feel a little scared; she knew Damon would never harm a hair on her head, but she could never truly predict his actions.

"If I lecture you," he said finally, "will you listen?"

"Yes," Tari answered honestly.

"Will you obey?"

It seemed as if the truth would serve her better right now. "No," she admitted.

He sighed. "Then I might as well save my breath." He let go of one of her arms but increased his grip on the other. "Let's go."

He moved forward by she stood still, and he jerked back. Gritting his teeth he asked, "What now?"

She jerked her head to the cemetery behind her. "Do you...?" She left the question out in the air. It was a cemetery after all; he knew what she meant.

Once again Damon didn't even think about it. "No."

Because he had to admit that Stefan was right: he wasn't ready.

_I see her as soon as I step off the train. It would be hard _not _to spot her; after all she looks as if she's stepped straight off a runway. I wonder whether that's just how I see her, if the rest of the world sees her as an ordinary girl, or even an ugly duckling, but to be honest I don't care. She's beautiful inside and out, and more than that, she's mine. _

_When she smiles I swear, my heart goes into overdrive. "Hey you," she says and kisses me as if we do it every day. I haven't seen her for a week which really, isn't very long in the grand scheme of things, but it feels like it's been years since I've kissed her. We kiss on the platform for a minute and I can feel the stares of people around us. I am smug; I can feel their envy. They _wish _they were this happy. _

"_Hey," I murmur in her mouth, and we break apart. Laughing she takes my hand and leads me out of the station onto the streets of New York. Joy. _

"_Can you please explain to me while you're living here?" I ask. _

"_Because it's my home," she says. We've had this discussion a thousand times. _

"_Why can't your home be _my _home?" _

"_You want to move to New York? For me?" She grins at me. I pull her towards me and wrap her arm round my shoulder, and she puts her arm round my back, her hand on my hip. My heart soars; I've wanted to do something like this for so long. _

"_Or you could move back to Mystic Falls?" _

"_Oh yeah, we've known each other what, almost a month? Sure, let's move into together." She shook her head. "We can't just rush into things. It takes time."_

_She's right; after all, she doesn't know what I am. How would I be able to hide drinking blood bags all the time? I sigh, pressing my cheek against the top of her head. "It just sucks that you're in New York and I'm in Mystic Falls. It's too far." _

"_I know. But this is where I live; it's where I have a job." She presses her lips against my cheek. "We still see each other. We talk all the time. You could always move here." _

_I screw up my face. "I'm not a big fan of New York. It's too busy." _

"_Then I guess we're stuck." She grins that grin and I'm flying. "I have something to show you." _

"_Oh God," I say. "Why do I not like the sound of it?" _

_She takes me to a quiet spot in Central Park. Throwing down a blanket we lie there. It gets dark quickly, but I think that was the plan. She huddles close to me as it gets cold; I place my jacket round her, naturally not caring about the chilly weather. _

"_This is so annoying," I murmur. _

_She glances at me curiously. "What is?" _

"_You can't see the stars here. In Mystic Falls, they're as clear as the sun."_

"_You can see stars," she argues. I'll admit that there are a few bright ones, but in Mystic Falls there are thousands of them; here there are hundreds, maybe. _

"_Not many." I shake my head. "Stupid. Why the hell you want to live here is beyond me." _

"_Stop complaining, it's romantic." _

"_I have to admit, it's nice to have you so close to me." Her head is on my chest. I wonder if she doesn't wonder why she can't hear my heartbeat. I wish I had one. It would be nice to feel how it speeds up every time I see her. _

_There's silence (or as silent as it can be in New York) with us for a while, but it's comforting. She is in my arms, so of course I feel safe. It's amazing how Rebecca has become the most important thing to me. She works during the evening so I call her at about eleven o'clock every day and she calls me when she gets in from the evening shift at the restaurant. She whines that between the hours she works and the hours she talks to me on the phone she barely has time to sleep – and yet she still doesn't want to hang up. _

"_I've never done this before." Her voice is soft. _

"_What? Look at the stars?" _

"_Fall in love." _

_The words make time freeze. My heart, if beating, would have stopped like a truck. I didn't expect those words. Even through all of this, how close we've grown, I never expected it. It's after years of never hearing it, of hardening my heart so that I wouldn't _care _about hearing it. I thought it had to be Elena. But maybe it doesn't. Maybe Elena only prepared me, readying me for something better. _

"_Say it." _

_She turns her head away. "I'm scared." _

_She doesn't have to tell me that. I know how terrifying it can be to say those words and not hear them back. So I say them first; after all, don't I always say them first? "I love you." _

_She turns to face me. Those brown eyes of hers are wide. I can tell she wants to hear these words; like me, has wanted to hear them forever. But those words also entrap you; they mean that you are important to someone. Being important to someone...you have a responsibility. _

_For a moment I am seized with fear: what if she doesn't say it back? What if once again I am turned down, what if she doesn't want me? _

"_I love you too." _

_I close my eyes. God I have waited to hear them for _so _long. It feels better than I thought it would. Something loosens in my chest, and I feel it float away, never to return. I'm free. _

"_Thank you," I whisper. _

_She rolls over, on top of me. "No," she murmurs, pressing her lips against mine. "Thank _you._" _

Tari loved New York because it reminded her of her mother, of the life they had before.

Damon hated New York for exactly the same reason.

**xXx **

Both of them stood at the platform, waiting for the train to appear. It was ten minutes late and the weather wasn't exactly warm. Neither of them had spoken since they left the cemetery.

"Can you just yell at me?" Tari finally asked. She could take Damon yelling at her, or insisting she do something, but she didn't know how to handle him being calm. She didn't know how to handle it.

Damon, who had been staring straight ahead and not looking at her, turned his head slightly. "You want me to yell?"

"I want you to do something," she said. "You're not acting normal."

He didn't say anything for a few moments. "We can't keep doing this Tari. You can't keep running off and having me chase you. It isn't going to work."

"Okay."

He focussed on her fully, surprised at agreement. "Okay?"

"Okay." Tari glanced down at her feet, feeling suddenly embarrassed. "I just wanted to see Mom's grave. I've seen it now." She looked up him with such boldness that he saw Rebecca. "You'll need to, one day."

Damon pressed his lips together, not replying.

But Tari knew that sometimes actions were better than words. Opening her back she pulled out the silver package and handed it to a surprised Damon. "Your Christmas present," she explained.

He raised an eyebrow. "You know it's bad luck to open a Christmas present before it's actually Christmas?"

"Close enough."

He tore it open easily, and Tari saw him freeze. She was exceedingly glad she gave it to him now; she would have been embarrassed if she had given it to him in front of everyone else, and he probably would have been too.

"Where did you find this?" he finally asked, and she felt pleased; he was smiling, lost in a memory.

"It was sandwiched in-between the pages of _Dracula_."

Damon burst out laughing. _So Rebecca. _"I forgot about this picture," he said, and Tari realised that he sounded delighted.

Tari edged closer. She remembered when she first saw the picture; she stared at it for a good ten minutes. Damon and Rebecca were grinning hugely, like they had bananas in their mouths. Even Tari was staring at the camera, and she must have only been two years old at the most. She thought that the background was Central Park, but she can't be certain; after all, they're what the camera focuses on. It occurred to Tari that she had never seen Damon smile like that – like it could almost go into a laugh. And her mother's eyes are shining with happiness. They both look years younger, and Tari doubted it had anything to do with the twelve year difference; after all, it wasn't as if Damon could age.

For one moment Damon really did seem younger, caught up in the past. But then he must have thought of something because his eyes dimmed slightly. He still managed to smile though when he looked at Tari. "Thank you," he said simply, and in an instant he pulled her into a hug. She felt the tension in her chest ease. It was okay. Everything was okay again.

Close enough anyway.

**xXx **

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Even Damon leapt in the air when Caroline appeared out of nowhere. Neither of them had trouble believing that she had been waiting there all night just to jump out at them like that. "You made it back just in time!" she said as the grandfather clock chimed twelve o'clock.

"C'mon!" Caroline yanked Tari down by the tree. Before they could notice he hadn't followed them Damon whizzed upstairs. He placed the photo on his bedside table. He remembered the day it was taken: Rebecca had a day off so Damon came up to spend the day with his two girls. They walked through Central Park, Damon resting Tari on his shoulders as he pointed out the type of trees and tried to get her memorise them. _"For goodness sake Damon_," Rebecca had said, half laughing, _"She's not even two yet." _

There was a timid knock on the door and he turned round. Elena stood at the threshold, looking sheepish. "You're back," she said.

"Yeah." Damon didn't know what to say. They argued all the time, but it had been years since they'd fought about something serious like this.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's fine," Damon answered, relieved. He didn't really need the apology. The fight seemed a long time ago. Besides, it was Christmas.

"Are you sure?"

"Elena, I'm not one to hold a grudge. That's your department."

She glowered at him, but was fighting a smile. "You're an ass."

"You're a bitch." They were both grinning now, and Damon slung his arm round her. "Has little brother forgiven you?"

"Now that I've apologised to you, yes. And we have to go downstairs before Tari has no choice but to stake Caroline."

**xXx **

It was one of the best Christmases Tari ever had.

None of them went to bed: instead they stayed up and opened presents. Tari had never gotten so many gifts in her life. She realised that Caroline had bought her so many clothes that she wouldn't be able to open her wardrobe without it exploding on her. Elena and Stefan kissed after opening each other's gifts while the other three tried not to vomit. Too wired for sleep after that, even Tari who hadn't slept in twenty four hours, they played Twister.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Damon growled. He had his feet splayed on the yellow spots but one arm was on red, the other green. He was in a position that a cheerleader would make. It was a good thing that he could die, because all the blood was rushing to his face.

"Stop whinging," Caroline replied. She spun the arrow. "Elena, right hand green."

"It's already on green."

"Then you'll have to stay in that position."

"Great," Elena murmured. One foot was on one corner, her hand on the other. She was stretched out like someone was stretching bubble gum, about to snap in a moment.

"Is it my go yet?" Stefan begged. Tari couldn't even tell his position, but he looked like a pretzel.

"One sec," Caroline replied. She answered her phone, and her entire face lit up. "Ty! What are you doing awake?" A pause, and Caroline turned away. "You're so sweet."

"Caroline, hurry up," growled Stefan.

There was another pause, and the blonde burst out laughing. "I don't believe it! She said what?"

"THAT'S IT!" Damon blurred away from the board, moving so fast it was as if he hadn't been there in the first place. Caroline had disappeared too, and they could hear her screaming, "Ty, help me, he's coming after me!" Giving up the other three relaxed there postures – well, Elena and Tari did; they had to help Stefan uncurl himself.

Later – much later, when they had argued, played even more games and begun to drink, Alaric came over. Damon and Stefan cooked with Ric's help, while Caroline and Tari (as a precaution) kept Elena busy. There was so much food: a huge turkey, more stuffing than you could imagine, mash potato and so many vegetables Tari couldn't count them.

The day passed so quick, almost in the blink of an eye. Starting at ten they all played cards – Newmarket. Tari, who was taught it that evening, caught on surprisingly quick; Caroline too, seemed be winning a lot of money.

"You're cheating," accused Damon.

"How am I cheating?" asked Tari. "At least I'm not looking at everyone's cards like you are!"

"How is it that you and Caroline seem to be winning every bloody hand then?"

"We're not – Ric's won a few."

"How come I haven't won any?"

"Neither have I," said Stefan. "I think this is a bad year for us."

Alaric finished his glass of scotch. He would be staying at the boarding house tonight; there was no way he could drive. "It's not that bad."

"How is it that only three people are winning?"

"You lot take it too seriously anyway," Elena commented. She sat up suddenly. "Damon, you've given me an extra card."

"CHEAT!" everyone at the table except for Damon cried.

He shrugged, a smile on his face. "I guess we'll have to put in double money!"

"No! I can't afford to put in money again!"

They played for who knows how long; it seemed like it lasted a minute but at the same time felt like hours. All at once Tari's eyes seemed to be closing on themselves. She had been running on adrenalin, but it seemed that her tiredness was catching up on her.

She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but she woke up when Damon was tucking her into bed. Instantly she sat up. "Where's my money?" she mumbled.

Gently Damon pushed her back down on the bed. "It's in your bedside table."

"Without about five quid missing if you've had anything to do with it."

"Even another five quid wouldn't cover my losses." He shook his head. "It's been a bad year." He sat beside her on the bed, pushing the hair off her face. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"No," Tari said, too tired to even be grudging. "It was good."

He pulled himself on the bed beside her. "It's still Christmas, at least for a few minutes. Do you want one more present?"

Tari opened her eyes, though it was a struggle; she hadn't slept in over twenty four hours – maybe even forty eight. She couldn't even be certain that this wasn't a dream. "Another one?" She smiled softly. "I think I've gotten too much already."

He placed a wrapped present in front of her. Despite being exhausted Tari forced herself up, opening the present. Her eyes widened when she saw it, a smile breaking like a wave over her face. "You remembered."

Damon leant back on the bed, eyes closed and smiling. "How could I forget? How the hell could anyone forget? Your mother and I practically knew the words of that film off by heart."

When Tari was seven years old she discovered the film _A Little Princess_. Rebecca had bought it her and she didn't stop watching it. When Damon visited for a weekend he watched a total of seven times. Both of her parents had tried to make her watch something else or better yet do anything else, but the girl had the wilfulness of both of them combined and flat out refused. Years later all three of them still knew the film line by line.

"I can't believe you bought me the book," said Tari, leaning back and closing her own eyes. Sleep was beckoning, and it was too strong to refuse.

"You can compare it to the film," Damon replied. He was tired too, not having slept for an entire night.

"Thank you," she murmured, her head on his chest.

Damon opened his eyes and smiled. She was perfect, his own little princess. "You're welcome."

**xXx **

"Finally!" Tyler stepped through the door into Caroline's warm embrace. "I thought we weren't going to see each other for the entire day."

Tyler smiled, and his grin was so easy and full of youth that it wasn't difficult for Caroline to remember why she had fallen for him; why she still fell, every time. "I would never allow that to happen." He kissed her, and her feet stuck to the floor as usual. In that moment she couldn't remember ever being angry at him, ever loving anyone else but him. His kiss was the reason she came back to him again and again; how could she forget this feeling?

"I have a suggestion," Tyler said after they broke away.

Caroline raised her eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" she asked. "A suggestion of your mother's, perhaps."

His shoulders sagged. "Car just try to keep an open mind, okay?"

Caroline crossed her arms. "I guess I can try."

"She said that if we wanted to stay in Mystic Falls-" Caroline opened her mouth and Tyler hurried to get the words out "-we could stay in an apartment that she bought, rent-free."

"Ty-"

"I know Car, I know, but think about it. It's so much easier here: we have the tomb to keep me safe, we don't have to drive for practically a day to set it up; you can see your mother all the time, and your friends. And Damon wouldn't mind have two more sets of eyes on Tari."

Caroline was quiet for a moment, and turned her head. She could hear Elena, Stefan and Alaric laughing, all drunk out their minds – it promised to be a good night. She herself was a little tipsy, so it wasn't a good time for Tyler to be propositioning her.

But he was right: staying here had made her realise how much she missed her friends and Mystic Falls. This was the place she had grown up in, where she had spent so many hard years – and yet fun years, loving years. It was where she had grown up. And it _would _be safer; if anything happened, any of the things that Damon feared, then they were right in Mystic Falls to help out.

The blonde turned round, sighing. "Let's see this apartment then."

**xXx **

***I've taken a bit a liberty with the facts of TVD. During the sacrifice Damon didn't get bitten by Tyler, therefore Stefan didn't go off with Klaus. I'll explain more later, but that's all you need to know for now. **

**Also, I don't know how long it would take to get from the Mystic Falls area to New York and back. Hopefully I'm not wrong, but if I am, it's about sixteen years in our future; let's just say that the speed of trains has advanced to make them EXTREMELY fast, okay? **

**PLEASE REVIEW! ****THANK YOU**


	18. War and Peace

**I must say I'm pleased that a lot of you are happy that Caroline has returned. When I first started this story, back before season 2, I hadn't planned her to be in it at all. I didn't think much of Caroline before season 2; sure I liked her, but not particularly. I also didn't mind her with Matt. But she's grown so much in season 2 – she's more confident and strong. I love how they've made her a stronger character, and I thought that she and Tyler would be great additions to the story.**

**On a personal note – ****Baby Doll Rica****: I completely understand. When you lose people you almost manage it after a while, y'know, when you have work and school etc. But during holidays it's a lot harder. Christmas is my favourite time of year, and when my grandfather died it didn't feel right. It was so hard to act normal, and you knew even before Xmas day that this year it wasn't going to be one of the best Christmases – I mean, how could it be? I really tried to put that feeling in the Xmas chapter.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do NOT own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill or any of the characters; I only own Tari, Liam, Allen, Mr Herman, Mrs Kennedy and Rebecca**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**War and Peace**

"I'm just saying it would be nice for some company," said Liam.

"It's freezing outside," Tari argued.

"That's how you'll get warm."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Sawyer. Allen and Sawyer had been waiting for the two of them to meet by the lockers before history.

"See I told you," said Allen, sending Sawyer a look. "Liam argues with everyone."

"I would have thought you would have been sick of arguing, what with you and Jamie fighting all holiday," Sawyer commented, shoving books into her locker. She gave a groan when another almost fell out. "I swear, there's not enough room in these things."

"Maybe I'm just the type of person that argues all the time." He rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying it would be fun."

"What are you talking about?"

"Lee wants me to go running with him on the weekend mornings," Tari asked, putting some books in her locker.

"Well it's not as if I'd ask you to get up earlier on the weekdays." Liam leant against the locker, facing her. "C'mon Tari, your gym teacher said that you were a natural."

Tari turned to Sawyer. "Oh this is your fault?"

The blonde shrugged. "Well it's true." It was the dreaded Running Week as the students called it, where in P.E. they had to do sprints and long distance runs. Most girls (and half the boys) hated running, groaning with painful stitches and breathless. Tari though, had actually _enjoyed _the running. She had reached the finish line of the longest run with only minimal pain – Sawyer, on the other hand, had nearly fainted and felt that her heart was going to come out of her chest. Their teacher had been amazed at her endurance and suggested she practiced more often. Tari had dismissed the thought almost instantly – but apparently Liam had other ideas.

"Maybe I like to sleep in on the weekends," suggested Tari.

"I get up at nine. Besides, isn't it better to get up early then sleep the weekend away?"

Okay, Tari had to admit that it was better to be up early on a weekend to get more out of it. Sometimes she even slept for the entire morning. But he was right; it would be better to actually _have _a weekend.

And that was how she got up at _seven fifty _("Could we meet at eight this time?"; it was quite clear that Liam had lied about getting up at nine) to meet him. She put very little make up on – after all, it was only Liam and they were running. She wasn't going to be able to keep attractive.

She went down the stairs two at a time, realising she was going to be late – and of course ran smack into Damon.

"Can't you give me some kind of warning before you appear in front of me?" Tari asked, straightening herself.

" That wouldn't be as much fun." He sent her a smirk before continuing. "And what are you doing up this early?"

"I _told _you Damon. I'm going running with Liam."

Damon leant against the wall, blocking the door. Tari sighed and stood there, waiting for him to get to the point. "I haven't met this Liam kid. Shouldn't I be able to meet this kid first before I allow you to go running with him?"

"Shouldn't you meet all the teachers at my school before you send me to it?" Tari asked, thinking of Mr Herman. How true that was.

"But we've gone over the boyfriend rule, right?"

Tari felt a smirk creep over her face. _This could be very amusing. _"No, we haven't."

"As in none. Ever." His eyes were serious, and Tari realised that he meant it. She knew that he wouldn't take her having a boyfriend well, but jeez – she was a little worried about what would happen to the boy she decided to date. Yeah, he was going to be a lucky guy.

"Don't you think that's a little excessive?"

"Fine, we'll review it when you're eighteen."

"Sixteen. And fine, agreed, whatever I need to say to get you to let me go." When she saw a grin growing on his face, she realised. "You've made me even more late, y'know realise that?"

"Maybe you should just skip it-"

"Piss off," Tari said, pushing him out of the way. She could hear him laughing as she slammed the door behind her.

She walked through a cut, which led her to a country road. Liam said that it was best running on the road because the weather was so awful you could easily slip and hurt yourself; the roads were safer, especially at this time in the morning and especially the back road.

He was waiting for her against a tree, playing with his phone. "Texting your latest girl?" Tari asked, standing beside him.

"Had to do something," said Liam with a crooked smile towards her. "You're late."

"I got caught by Damon." At Liam's questioning gaze she continued. "He gave me the boyfriend talk."

Liam laughed as he stretched out his legs. "Oh I wish I could have heard that."

"It wasn't that bad actually. Basically I'm not allowed to have one."

"Straight to the point."

"We're reviewing it when I'm sixteen." She finished stretching out her left arm. "So where we heading?"

"Straight down the road until we hit the bridge."

"What bridge?"

"Jesus you've lived here for nearly six months now and you still don't know the area? This was the girl who knows New York like the back of her hand?"

"Brooklyn like the back of my hand. I kinda know Manhattan."

Liam shook his head. "Fine, just follow me – and try to keep up."

She had to admit, running as far as Liam did was gruelling. At first it was easy, but this was further than she had run before. As time went on she felt her breath leave her body and it became harder to continue lifting her feet up.

"I thought you were better than this," Liam said beside her. He didn't sound to be struggling at all.

"Can we take a break?" Tari gasped out.

"No. You need to get through this. Every runner hits this part where they get to the wall. If you have any stamina at all then you can break through the wall. If you stop running now then you won't become a good runner. Keep going." Liam made it look effortless as he ran. He didn't even sound too out of breath.

It almost killed Tari to continue. She focussed on a point at the bottom of the road, telling herself that once she got to that spot than she would be able to stop and take a break.

But then Liam was right: suddenly she felt her body begin to loosen up, like they were weightless. It was easy to run now, more free – like this was what she was made to do. The sick feeling left her stomach and chest didn't hurt as badly as before. She supposed this was the endorphins kicking in. But it was the feeling that she had that made the difference; it almost felt as if she could fly, if that made any sense at all. She glanced out the corner of her eye and could tell that Liam was feeling it to. He caught her eye and grinned. "Race ya!" he called. He began to speed ahead, but the second he said that Tari threw her head back and began to pump her arms harder.

Somehow they had reached the bridge – Tari hadn't even seen it, so caught up she was in running. Both reached it almost at the same time, their hands hitting the stone to stop themselves. Breath rushed out their bodies and they were both coughing, but there were smiles on their faces and they were laughing. Tari sank down to the floor and Liam sat beside her. "God," she breathed.

"You feel better though."

"Yeah, I guess." She leant her head back against the stone. "You do this every weekend?"

He shrugged. "Got to keep in shape. I am on the football team. Besides, you never know when you're going to need to run."

"Good point," Tari said, thinking of Caleb. But even she knew that you could train every day for fifty years and you still wouldn't be able to outrun a vampire. She had seen Damon speed back and forth enough times.

"You'll be sore tomorrow," he warned.

"Thanks for telling me this _now_."

"Oh please," said Liam, rolling his eyes. "Even if I had told you, you would have done the exact same thing."

They didn't speak for a few minutes, catching their breath. "So can I ask you something?"

"Even if I told you not to, you would anyway."

"Why don't you call Damon 'dad'?"

Tari was surprised at the question. She stared forward, looking at the other side of the bridge. Carved in stone was the year 1901. The bridge had been built over a hundred years ago, and was still standing. Didn't anyone else find that a little bit amazing? But then she was from New York where if something was out of fashion it was removed and replaced with something else – of course it was strange to her. "Where did that come from?"

"I was just wondering."

"Why do you hate your brother?"

"I don't hate my brother," Liam said, outraged.

"Maybe not hate. But you definitely have issues."

"You first."

Tari sighed loudly. "I don't know. I never called him dad, not since I was...five maybe, six. Maybe it was because he wasn't like other dads – like all my friends had dad's that occasionally picked them up at school, or watched them during their debut in the school play. Stupid I know, and it's not like I was only kid that didn't have a dad – but it still...annoyed me-"

"Still hurt," he interjected.

Tari sent him a glare but continued. "-that he wasn't there. And as I got older, he didn't visit as much. Yeah we talked on the phone and emailed, but it wasn't the same, y'know?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I can understand it, but I've always had the perfect family. The middle child. The Mom and Dad and big brother and little sister. And most of the time, it is."

Tari studied his face carefully. "But not all the time."

Liam didn't look at her when he spoke, just like Tari hadn't looked at him. "Sometimes I feel like the outcast of my family. Like my big brother is way into sports just like my dad. I know I am too, but it's different. Jamie plays basketball just like he did, and they always talk about it over dinner. And Lydia is already a musical prodigy, just like my mom. And I just slip in the middle.

"It's not that I hate Jamie; I'm jealous of him. He was the oldest, and before I was born my parents went through so much; by the time he was like, seven, they talked to him like a grown up. Sometimes I think he's their favourite."

Tari was already shaking her head. "You know that's not true Lee."

"Yeah, I know. But in my darkest hour, it haunts me."

She had to admit, she couldn't understand it; she was an only child, and even if Damon didn't pay any attention to her she still knew that she was the only one he adored, the one he always made sure was okay. There was no one who she had to compete with. Tari had never particularly wanted any brothers and sisters (her parents weren't together and she couldn't see them ending up together, so she never thought about it) but now she was exceedingly relieved that they hadn't had any other kids. She was showered with attention and affection from both of them. She had never felt any need to be jealous; never had anyone to be jealous of.

He stood up suddenly. "Ready for round two?" he asked, his voice ultra-cheerful. Too happy.

Tari stood up, narrowing her eyes at him. "I'll leave you in the dust."

"Keep dreaming Salvatore."

"Whatever keeps you happy Scott."

**xXx **

She was going to kill him.

This must have been her vampire side coming out, but Tari now envisioned how she would do it: finding a way to drop pill after pill into his cup of coffee; hitting him over the head with his computer keyboard or better yet, _War and Peace _(a book that heavy could kill someone, or at least put them in a coma); staple his hand. The last one probably wouldn't kill him, but it would definitely hurt him, and that would be good enough.

She had tried to avoid Mr Herman. English was becoming her hardest lesson; hard because she squirmed under his gaze, but she was doing well in it because she tried not to look up at him at all, focussing on the book or a sheet of paper.

But now she couldn't help but look up to glare at him. He wasn't looking at her at the time; instead he was talking about the results. "A mixed bag really. Some of you didn't really try at all; others on the other hand made me proud." Did anyone notice how he looked at Sawyer when he said this? "But I was really disappointed with some of you." He made eye contact with Tari when he said this.

_Don't pull that act with me you stick-up-the-ass prick. You can't keep your hands off your students, and clearly behave childish. _Tari wished she had something to throw at him, something that would burn him. Another way to kill him, only she would have to find a way to get him to the science labs.

He continued talking but Tari really couldn't concentrate. Her mind wandered to other methods of killing him. Her personal favourite was allowing Damon to do it. While she didn't like the idea of running to daddy to get the bad man hurt, she knew that Damon would do exactly as she asked i.e. make it _extremely _painful. That did tempt her, it did. _If only Sawyer wasn't dating him. Argh, why must my life be so complicated? _

The bell rang and Tari left as fast as she could. She didn't even consider talking to him about her grade; right now he had all the power. She had to think of a way to cut him off. It was like chess. Surely she had learnt something playing with him?

"Sorry I can't talk," Sawyer said, power-walking down the hall. Tari had to rush to keep up. "I-"

"Have the evil chemistry teacher, yeah I know." It took a lot of effort to smile, to act natural. She was only thankful that Sawyer had to rush off.

She took her time in the bathroom, attempting to compose herself. She had study period next, and she could take her time. Her Monday was always a bitch: not only did she have double maths in the morning, she also had physics. English had usually been her brief break, but lately it had become the worst part of them all. Tari was seriously considering skipping it – if it weren't for the fact that the school would call Damon, who would then probably walk her to every class to make sure she went. Though Tari wasn't exactly at the top of the social ladder, she wasn't willing to commit social suicide. The only thing that got her through it was study hall with Allen. Their teacher was practically asleep for that lesson, so they could do whatever they wanted. It was nice to have some time to relax for her stressful day.

He was waiting in his usual seat, and smiled at her when she sat down. "Hey," he said. "You're cutting it fine. If Mr Alder was awake then you surely would have gotten detention. As it is..." Both of them glanced over to the plump man who was snoring. No one though, had ever told on him; despite it everyone liked him and panicked that if they told someone then he would be fired and have a teacher that would make them work.

"Yeah well, I got some bad news," Tari grumbled.

Allen raised an eyebrow. "What's up?" he asked quietly.

Tari pushed her exam paper in front of him. He glanced down at it, frowning. "You got a D?"

"I got a D," she repeated glumly. "This from the girl whose being taking out tonight for celebrating her good grades. I even managed to get a B- in maths and a C in chemistry, but in English I get a D."

"That's not like you," said Allen. He flipped through the exam paper. The writing didn't look rushed; it looked remarkably calm and collected, like she knew the answer. He read it over. "This doesn't look like a D."

No, Tari didn't think it was a D either. She bit her lip, deliberating. She wanted to tell him something, wanted to talk to him about why she felt victimized by Mr Herman. But how could she do that without telling him Sawyer's secret? And if she did decide to tell him, then who's to say he wouldn't tell Liam? And Tari knew Liam well enough to know he would be furious if he found out.

"Okay," she said gamely. "I can't tell you the full story, but let's just say that Mr Herman is victimizing me-"

"What?" Allen stared at her unblinking. "Why would he victimize you?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Tari," Allen said, leaning forward. His eyes were round, focussed on her. "Did he...do something to you? I mean, did he try something?"

"No. Really Allen, there's nothing going on – nothing like that. But let's just say he doesn't like me and he's picking on me. What would I do? How would I know if this work was a D or not?"

She could tell Allen was worried. He stared at the book down at him, tapping his fingers on the desk. She waited, waited for him to come up with a magical answer. This was Allen; he was a warlock after all.

"There's no reason why he's doing this?" Allen tried again to get her to tell him what the problem was, but naturally Tari kept her mouth shut.

After silence he sighed. "Mr Herman isn't in charge. The Head of English could override him."

"Who's the Head of English?"

**xXx **

That was how Tari ended up outside Mrs Kennedy's door. She stared at it, desperately trying to force her feet to move, but she couldn't. This was stupid; why the hell should she be nervous about this? She knew that Mrs Kennedy was one of the strictest teachers in the school. She didn't even know who Tari was. And now she was supposed to ask her for help? She wouldn't be pleased that Tari was going behind a teacher's back.

But Tari wasn't going to let Mr Herman win. Remembering how angry he made her resolved her. She gave three quick knocks on the door and entered.

Mrs Kennedy was sitting at her desk, writing something – maybe marking papers, Tari wasn't sure. She glanced up. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Um, yeah." Any words that Tari had prepared suddenly abandoned her at this crucial moment. She cleared her throat and handed the exam paper to her. "I was wondering if you could look over this exam paper for me."

She took it from Tari and glanced over it. She then looked back at Tari, who was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "Your teacher has already marked this."

"Yes," Tari answered.

"Mr Herman?"

"Yes," she repeated.

"I don't understand the problem," Mrs Kennedy said.

_I wish I could tell you. _Instead Tari looked at her straight in the eye. "I would just like you to have a look at it, if you don't mind."

Mrs Kennedy looked back at the paper. "Nefertari Salvatore."

"Yes," Tari said again. "But please, call me Tari."

If Mrs Kennedy had heard her she didn't give any indication of it. "Very well Nefertari, if you insist I will look over it and give my opinion." Tari took that as her dismissal and mumbled a 'thank you' before leaving.

"Well?" Allen asked once Tari arrived at the lockers.

Tari let out a sigh, leaning against them. "That was harder than I thought. I felt as if I was being skinned alive. She didn't give me any encouragement at all."

"She can be like that," Allen said, grinning. "Trust me, if you're a lazy and have her she'll tear you apart."

"Knowing my luck she'll give me an even worst mark." She sighed, sliding down to the floor. "Great. So much for my good grades."

Allen laughed. "Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" He sat down beside her. "Don't you think Sawyer could help you out? She has him too."

She sat up straight. "Allen, you _can't _tell Sawyer or Liam about this, I mean it. They can't know about this."

Allen frowned. "Why can't they know?"

"Look it's stupid, but I don't want them to know. Please Al."

He didn't look happy. "I don't like this Tari," he said lowly. "You're not telling me the entire story, and you're not telling Sawyer or Lee anything. Are you _sure _this guy's not harassing you? 'Cause I know that you don't tell him everything, but your dad would be able to get rid of him."

_Don't tempt me. _"He's not harassing me – at least not in that way." She reached over and squeezed his hand. She saw his expression soften, just a little bit, and felt him relax. "I'm fine, really. I can take care of myself."

"I know you Tari," Allen said gently. "I know you like to take care of things yourself, but please, if this guy is being an ass just let us help, okay?"

"I will," Tari promised. "Thank you though, for letting me talk to you about this. It feels good to get a bit of help." She smiled, and – though it was a little tight – he returned it.

It was then she realised that she had been holding his hand the entire time.

**xXx **

"Can we get a Manhattan, a cosmopolitan, two beers, a bottle of red wine and a coke please?"

Once the waitress had left Tari rolled her eyes. "That's so uncool – you lot can drink alcohol and I'm stuck with a coke."

"It's not my rules, it's the law," Damon said, leaning back in the chair.

"You could compel them to serve me alcohol."

"I'll tell you what: if Caroline doesn't arrive here soon than you can have hers."

Elena glanced round the crowded restaurant as if Caroline would appear out of nowhere – which, in fairness, she could. "Where is Caroline anyway?"

"I don't know," Stefan replied. "She sounded weird on the phone, and I haven't seen her for the past couple of days."

"Isn't Tyler coming?" asked Ric.

"We invited him but Caroline said he couldn't make it."

Damon frowned, twiddling his thumbs. "Something's up," he said after a moment.

"You don't think they're breaking up, do you?" Tari thought of the last day of the semester, walking in on Tyler and Caroline kissing. They had seemed lost in their own world; they must have been, because they both had supersensitive hearing and neither of them had heard her enter. They hadn't seemed one of those running-towards-each-other-in-a-field kind of couple like Stefan and Elena (and sometimes they really did seem too mushy for words) and though they fought, they seemed content with each other. It was more than that though; they knew each other, had known each other since they were little. There was something so comforting about that – like if you lost yourself, they would be able to find you. She felt a little sad at that moment; no one knew her like that, at least not since she was little. Her friends back in New York had stopped calling and emailing, and even then she hadn't stuck with the same friends that she had been with when she was four or five. Still, Liam and Allen and Sawyer knew her, just like she knew them, and that was reassuring.

"No," Stefan said, sending her a confident look.

Elena, however, looked uncertain. "You know them," she said. "I'll admit they've had a good run – I mean, they've lasted five years without breaking up and that's decent-"

"More than we had," Stefan pointed out.

"But sometimes all it takes it one argument," she reminded him. "You know what Ty and Caroline are like. Never mind one argument, all it takes is a word – remember the _spaghetti _incident?"

Everyone at the table except for Tari groaned. "What's the spaghetti incident?" Tari asked.

"No way," Ric said. "I am not listening to this again."

"It's dangerous just talking about it," Damon said. "If Caroline hears she'll start up again, and I don't want to listen to this _again_ for the next twelve hours."

The perfect opportunity arrived when the waitress arrived with the drinks. Once they were passed out, the waitress asked if they were ready to order their food. The five of them looked down at their menus, unopened in front of them, and asked for some more time – besides which their last member hadn't arrived yet.

"Let's make sure we know what we want when Caroline comes," Damon said.

"Hey, I have your Christmas present," Ric said to Tari. The girl perked up. Ric had said that he hadn't gotten her present ready for Christmas, and that was enough to intensify her curiosity. "I can't give it to you here though."

"Why not?" asked Damon, his eyes narrowing at his friend.

"'Cause I got her a crossbow and I think that the people who owned the restaurant wouldn't like me to bring it here."

Tari broke into a grin. "_Really? _You got me a _crossbow_? That's so cool! Will you teach me how to use it?"

Damon on the other hand was incensed. "A _crossbow_?You got my fourteen year old daughter a _crossbow_?She'll kill herself!"

"Not if I teach her how to use it," Ric argued.

"He's right – that way I can defend myself. _You _gave me the stakes and vervain darts, remember?"

"You can't control a crossbow-"

"If I teach her she can," answered Ric.

Damon put his hand to his head, closing his eyes. "I couldn't have normal friends and a normal life. I have to have a friend that gives my daughter a crossbow – who is, naturally, delighted at this." He raised his head, trying another argument. "You can't carry a crossbow in your bag."

"It's not a big one," Alaric said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's possible."

"Do you want to get home tonight?" snarled Damon. "It doesn't matter anyway," he said, turning back to Tari. "I won't allow it."

Alaric raised his eyebrows at Tari. "Hey, I think you should have extra history lessons. Friday after school?"

"If that's what you think," Tari replied innocently, though both shared a grin that had nothing innocent about it.

Damon groaned. "Fine, fine, whatever, but I'm there when you practice and for God's sake don't take it to school. I don't need the hassle of compelling the headmistress at the school."

Ric winked at Tari and the girl laughed. "I swear you enjoy making my life complicated," Damon muttered.

"It does make my life more fun," Tari agreed. They were distracted by saying anything more because Caroline suddenly arrived in a red dress with matching heels, looking suitably flustered. "Sorry I'm late," she said, collapsing in the seat.

Elena knew her friend; she knew that something was wrong. "What's going on?" she asked, sitting up. Even Tari could tell that Caroline was upset.

Caroline shook her head quickly, pressing her lips together. But she had the entire table's attention, all of whom were waiting patiently for her to speak. They knew they wouldn't have to wait long – after all Caroline wasn't known for keeping silent.

She took a deep breath. "I think Tyler might be breaking up with me."

Silence.

"That's it?" Damon shook his head. "Jesus Caroline you looked as if someone had died." He would have continued if Tari hadn't shoved him with her elbow, which admittedly didn't hurt but did the trick of shutting him up.

"It's a big deal Damon!" Caroline snapped. She took a sip of her Manhattan. "I thought everything was going okay," she said waving her head on the air. "Tyler and I have been getting along great. I mean, I know I wasn't excited about staying in Mystic Falls at first but it's all good: the apartment is much bigger than I thought and his mother's being a pain but now that _my _mom's back in town she's keeping her under control, and my mom and I are getting along and... I don't know, everything's just going great! But now he's acting quiet, all moody and distant and – I don't know, I don't get it." She sank her head into her hands as if she was about to burst into tears.

Everyone was staring at her, still trying to catch up with the torrent of words that she just spewed. Elena put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it's nothing Caroline."

"Yeah, don't worry," Damon said. "Stefan acted like that for – well, all of his relationship with Elena and they're still together."

Stefan sent Damon a look before tossing the napkin at him; Damon caught it and threw it back, Tari ducking to avoid it. The waitress chose this unfortunate time to appear, getting hit with the napkin.

Damon of course held no shame despite the fact he was behaving like a little child; in fact he was a little proud since he got Caroline to let out a smothered chuckle. The waitress put her hand on her hip. "Are you ready to order your food yet?"

The vampire sent her a smooth smile. "Two minutes." The waitress rolled her eyes and walked away.

"If she knew what I was she would treat me with a bit more respect," Damon said, pouring himself another glass of red wine. "Though we really do need to decide what we want to eat."

"He didn't want to come out tonight – what if he's seeing someone else?" Caroline looked positively terrified at the thought.

"Caroline, you have no reason to worry about that," Stefan said.

"Yeah – I mean, you are a werewolf and a vampire that have known each other for years. Why would he want anyone else?"

"But he was so _eager _to move here," Caroline said, narrowing her eyes. "Don't you think that's suspicious?"

"You're delusion," Damon said, his eyes on the menu.

"You're lucky we're in a public place or I would tear your throat out," Caroline growled.

"Maybe we should change the subject," Elena said, trying her best to be bright despite the fact she was gripping Caroline's arm like a vice.

_I got a D for my English exam_. It was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed the words back. Damon had been so pleased with her results – he had actually hugged her so tight that he had cut off circulation and taken her out for this meal. How could she let him know that she had a bad grade, in a lesson that she should have passed easily? Maybe Mrs Kennedy would give her a higher mark, but somehow Tari doubted it.

"Well if I'm still with Tyler by then, I'd like to remind everyone the next full moon's in a week."

Damon sent Tari a look. "What?" the teenager said.

"I know you – somehow you'll end up being out while there's a full moon and I'll have to come out and rescue you."

"Not if Alaric teaches me how to use the crossbow," Tari said, gesturing to her history teacher.

"Wait, what?" Caroline looked between the three of them. "Since when does Tari have a crossbow?"

"Since now," Tari said proudly. "And why do you assume that I'll be out during a full moon? Even I'm not stupid enough to go out when there's the possibility of being attacked by a hungry werewolf." She glanced up, suddenly thoughtful. "Could it kill me? A werewolf bite, I mean?"

It plunged the table into silence. Damon tilted his head, looking thoughtful. If you knew him, however, then you would be able to the concern in his eyes. He could remember what happened with Rose – who he still considered one of his closest friends. It still hurt him a little, and he had to admit he wasn't even sorry that Jules had died. She had killed Rose out of malice (okay, she had tried to kill him, but that was still pretty cruel) and someone who did something like that deserved to die that way.

He couldn't lose someone the same way again. It was too painful to watch.

"I don't know," Damon admitted. "Maybe."

"A werewolf could probably kill a human," Ric pointed out. "I don't think anyone really stands a chance against one."

"God knows Tyler's nearly killed me once or twice," Caroline muttered. "You'd think after we'd been through all of that he would cheat on me-"

"You don't even know if he's cheating on you! You've fabricated all this in your head!"

"You don't know Tyler the way I do."

"Can we not get back into this?" Stefan asked.

"So before I'm surprised with any other knowledge, are there any other supernatural beings? Angels, goblins, phantoms? Before I'm thrown off guard by any other information." Tari thought it would be a good question to ask; after all, she had only thought there were vampires, and then before she knew it there were werewolves and witches and hunters. She didn't want to find out there was something else and kick herself for not asking.

"No." Damon was too quick for a pause. If she had thought about it, he answered a little _too _quickly. But she didn't have the beauty of hindsight yet. She didn't notice the heated stare between Damon and Elena, or how the table tensed slightly. "Not that we know of."

"So," the waitress said, appearing suddenly at the table. "Dare I ask?"

They all glanced at each other and then guiltily down at the menus in front of them, admittedly open but still barely glanced at. There was no need for words. The waitress shook her head and moved away. "I want to go home tonight y'know!"

**xXx**

"Okay, you really need to go to bed now," said Damon, appearing in her room with a glass of water. Tari was on the bed, head in a book. She was behind on her reading for English, but she honestly couldn't be bothered. They had moved on from the Bronte sisters to Charles Dickens, and while he was a good writer, she had no desire to read _Nicholas Nickleby_. What was the point? If Mr Herman was going to make her down then why should she waste her time and effort working?

Tari slammed the book shut and threw it on the floor. Damon glanced at the book and then back at Tari. "What did the book do?"

"It was boring," answered Tari, pulling the covers over her. She _wished _she could tell him about Mr Herman, but she honestly didn't know what he would do. Damon was impulsive at best – at worst he was downright terrifying. Besides, what about Sawyer? Didn't her friend deserve the truth since she was right in the middle of it?

Damon clicked his fingers in front of Tari's face, jerking her into the present. "Where were you?" he asked. Those silver eyes searched her light blue ones – there wasn't much of a difference between the colours of their eyes, but Damon's had a slightly silver touch to his, whereas Tari's eyes were more a cross between a sapphire and a diamond, which was how Damon liked to look at it.

"School," Tari replied quickly, and it was sort of true.

"You're stressed now?" he asked. "I thought you were meant to be stressed _before _Christmas, what with exams and everything." Tari simply gave a limp shrug as if that settled the matter.

Some days getting any word out of Tari was a battle. Even an hour made a difference. She could disappear into her head and Damon had to try and pull her back out when he wanted to talk to her. He felt something move underneath him, uncertainty – like she was keeping something from him again.

In response he leant beside her, resting his head against her pillow. Surprised, Tari placed her head next to him. He could feel her hair against his cheek, and smoothed it down. "Something's bothering you," he murmured.

Tari felt her insides contract slightly. Now _would _be the perfect time to tell Damon. But she was Sawyer's friend, and she had promised not to tell anyone about her and Herman. She did have a certain fear that Damon would attack him, and while that would be extremely amusing she didn't want to make things uncomfortable for Sawyer. Herman was obviously childish, and Tari had to wonder how far he would go if he felt that it was Sawyer's fault.

"Sweetie, I know that I'm a vampire and you're human, but that does kinda hurt." Tari glanced down and realised she had been gripping his fingers.

"I take it that you're a little angry," Damon said mildly, pulling his hands away from her. "Talk."

"No."

Damon growled. "Seriously. You're not going to tell me again?"

The girl sighed, sitting up on her elbows. "Okay," she said. "If I tell you, you have to _promise _that you won't do anything."

He rolled over, pinning her to the bed. "That depends," he said, his eyes narrowing. "Is this going to make me angry?"

"Maybe," she said cautiously. "Not very angry, just a little..."

He was beginning to look even more irritated. "Tari, tell me what's going on." This was a command.

She sighed again. "Let's just say that, for some reason, a teacher is victimizing me."

"What did you do?"

Tari widened her eyes, lifting herself off the bed. "Why do you assume it's something I've done?" she exclaimed. "I'm an innocent victim here!"

Damon rolled his eyes, looking up at the ceiling as if he was asking God for help. "Alright, I'm sorry."

"Well, I guess it was a little my fault," Tari admitted. Damon sighed, focussing on her. "I made him look like a fool." That was, after all, a little true. "So now he gave me a bad grade-"

"It's a he?" Damon gritted his teeth. He was really trying hard to stop his fangs from protruding – let's face it, it would only scare Tari and wouldn't achieve anything – but it was difficult. He desperately wanted to find this guy. If it was a female teacher he would be able to understand; he would perhaps be curious, wondering why she would give Tari a low mark, but he wouldn't be angry. A male teacher, however... They may have authority, but at the end of the day they were still men; horny men that got to ogle young teenage girls every day.

"Of course it's a he. Women never get this upset if their ego takes a hit."

"Absolutely," Damon said easily; he really didn't want to get into a conversation about which gender was better, especially not at this minute. "Which teacher is it?"

Tari's hands went to his chest, as if trying to push him away. "No way," she said.

"Why can't you tell me?"

"Because I'm not completely certain that you wouldn't threaten him."

"A little threat never hurt anyone."

"That's really not true."

"Just let me talk to him. Tell me what his name is and we'll have a friendly discussion."

"Damon."

"Tari."

"I can handle this on my own. I'm already getting a second opinion on my essay. For all we know this could be all in my head and my grade really is that bad."

"Do you have your paper with you?" Damon had no particular authority when it came to grading papers, but even so, he would have thought he would be able to determine if her essay was any good or not.

"No."

Damon bit his lip. "Just tell me his name."

"No. I can deal with this myself. He's not going to do anything to me." Tari did not for even a second consider informing him of the way Herman acted during the storm. There would be nothing to stop her father from strangling the man, and how could she put a positive spin on that for Sawyer? _Sorry, my dad killed the guy that you love, but hey, hope we can still be friends!_ Yeah, right.

Damon was staring at her, his eyes scanning her face. "I'm not happy about this Tari." His daughter waited. "If he does _anything _that hurts you, or threatens you or _anything _that you don't like, call me – or if it's easier go to Alaric. You need to promise me that you will keep me in the loop."

"I promise," Tari said quickly.

He sighed, and Tari could tell he was uncomfortable with the thought of letting her go to school. While he was scrupulous with her education, if he was worried about her he would have no problem with making her stay at home. "Okay," he said again, relenting. "I won't do anything to him. But I mean it. If I have a feeling your hiding something from me, I will take care of it myself."

"I'm sure you will," Tari said.

Later when Damon had tucked her in and left her to get to sleep, she realised: she felt good about telling him the truth. Not the entire truth, but at least she wasn't hiding _everything_ from him. It soothed her conscience. The whole Caleb situation had given her a lot of guilt until Damon had finally found out the truth; even when she was punished, it had been a certain level of relief for her. Now Damon knew.

For one moment pure fear hit her. Now Damon knew; her father who was known for going to extraordinary lengths to protect her.

This couldn't end well.

**xXx **

Many fathers would not have taken the news that their daughter was being victimized very well. Some would leave her to it, believing she would be able to sort out the problem on her own. Other fathers would go in and talk to the teacher – or threaten him. While Damon Salvatore would have fallen into the latter category, he had said to his daughter that he wouldn't go and talk to the guy.

That did, however, leave him with many other options.

"You're still using me as your spy?" Damon could hear the noise of students as Alaric walked down the hall. "I'm serious Damon, I want paying."

"This _is _serious Ric," growled Damon. "Tari may be in danger. And since she is insisting that she takes care of this herself, my hands are tied. Yours, however, aren't."

"But I thought you said Tari wasn't being harassed by this guy. At least not sexually."

"She said he gave her a bad grade – but the fact that it's a _he _worries me."

"Okay, I'm here." Damon could hear the sound of a file cabinet being opened. "Let's see, Richardson, Rylan, Sage – ah, here we go, Salvatore." There was a pause as he flicked through the papers. "Okay, she's gotten at least a C in everything except English. A...Mr Herman gave her a D for her essay."

Damon pursed his lips together. "Herman," he growled through gritted teeth. "Got it."

"You're not going to do anything, are you?"

"I'll bide my time," he replied. "Meanwhile, keep an eye on him for me would ya?"

"_Damon!_"

"I can't do it! C'mon Ric, you have to. What if Tari got hurt because no one was watching him?"

There was silence as his words weighed on Ric. "Alright," he said after a moment. "Fair point. Okay, I'll watch out for them. But I can't be watching both of them every second. I know you want to believe that me being here will protect her – and it does give her more protection, it does – but it's impossible, even for me to watch them 24/7."

"I know." He did know this; after all, he had learnt the hard way that he couldn't keep Tari under his eye for the entire time. "Just do your best okay? And I'm rethinking the idea about the crossbow. Maybe it's not such a bad idea she has some protection."

"See," Alaric said proudly. "Always two moves ahead."

"Of course. So, Mr Two-Moves-Ahead, if you stop by I'll give you some payment in the form of cupcakes."

"Cupcakes?"

"Or brownies; or cookies."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Damon glanced through the kitchen and moved away, stepping through the double doors and outside to the garden. "Y'know how Caroline was talking about her fears over Tyler?"

"_Please _for the love of God _tell _me they didn't break up."

"No – not yet."

"Not yet?" The vampire could hear the fear in the human's voice – really, honest fear. "That's not good enough. I can't take another Tyler/Caroline breakup. Remember when he came over to take some of his stuff back? I still have a scar where a piece of the plate hit me."

"One of the good china pieces too," Damon added. "Worth quite a bit. Caroline certainly knows how to pick 'em."

"But they haven't broken up yet?"

"No – though Caroline is over here, and the only aim of this I can see is that she is trying to send us all into a sugar coma. She's baking – pies and cakes and biscuits and everything else. We could hold a bake sale for the entire town and still have plenty left over."

"Why's she doing it at your place?"

"God knows. Don't worry though, I'm doing damage control."

"Thank God." In the background Damon could hear the bell ring. "Shit I'm late. Good luck, and remember Damon, you have our near-future happiness in your hands."

"So no pressure then?" Damon hung up and wandered round the other side of the house, near the front. He had told Tyler not to come in the house – if he was going to question him then it wouldn't do to have Caroline listening in.

He met the werewolf at the gate. Tyler was wearing a jogger's outfit, and looked suitably sweaty. "What's this about?" he asked.

"You tell me," Damon growled, hoping that he sounded threatening. "While we're having this chat your girlfriend is in my kitchen peeling a dozen apples to put in a pie."

Tyler gave a shrug. "Good news for Peter Rabbit."

"This isn't amusing, Ty."

"Why is she in your kitchen anyway?"

"I haven't a clue – maybe she likes the fact that it's a big kitchen. The point is that she is in there turning my kitchen into a bakery because she's worried about your relationship." Tyler turned his head to the ground, looking uncomfortable. "She says your moody and being off with her-"

"What are you, playing matchmaker?"

"If I have to," Damon said bluntly. "Thee two of you have been going out for fifteen years, and stayed together for the last five. I thought that you would have sorted all your drama and issues out by now."

"We have."

"Really? Because Caroline doesn't seem to think so."

Tyler looked up at Damon. "I've been distant because I am hiding something from Caroline."

Damon stifled a groan. "Oh God, please don't tell me it's another girl. You can't tell Caroline that; she'll kill her." The vampire would have continued if he hadn't been blindsided by a little blue box. A second later he opened it, revealing a gold ring with a sizable diamond.

Damon stared at it. "I'm flattered Ty but I don't swing that way."

Tyler rolled his eyes, not even bothering to come up with a response. "I've been planning to ask Car to marry me."

The vampire closed his eyes. "Thank God. She may scream our ears off, but at least she won't be sobbing during all hours of the day wondering where it went wrong." He turned his attention back to the werewolf. "Do it soon. Caroline's driving herself and everyone else insane with her paranoia."

"Give me time D."

"Plan it out all you want, just do it soon. If you don't I'm sending all the baked goods over to your place and believe me, your apartment may be bigger than you expected but it won't be _that _big."

Tyler sighed. "Don't worry Damon. It'll be soon, I promise."

Damon watched his friend disappear into the forest. His mind abandoned the present then; how could it remain when he had suddenly been reminded of another ring, one that was a lot closer to his heart...

_One thing that I am truly delighted about is that Stefan didn't give Elena my mother's ring. Though at one point I was certain it was meant to be on her finger, now I picture it on Rebecca's slim fingers. _

_I stare at it for another moment before stuffing it back into my underwear drawer. It's not as if I'm planning to propose to Rebecca in the next day or so – she doesn't even know that I'm a vampire yet. If I'm honest I'm terrified of telling her. Every time I attempt to tell her my courage fails me. How do you really start with that conversation? _

_I am brought out my thoughts when I hear Rebecca coming in the room. She is wearing one of my shirts – designer, but I don't mind if she spills anything on it; she's worth more – and some of my clean boxers. And she's carrying two dishes filled with fruit and cream. "Elena and Stefan are downstairs."_

_I grin as I take one of the bowls, kissing her in the process. She smiles and it makes me smile too. "Did they grill you?" _

"_They tried," answers Rebecca. "They're polite but I don't understand why they keep on asking me all these questions." _

"_I think they're just trying to understand why you're attracted to me." _

_She takes my hand and leads me back to the bed. She lies down and I am on top of her. Perfect. I can see that she thinks so too because she grins, brightening her entire face. I take a grape and feed it to her like she's a baby. _

"_What I don't get is how you can be attracted to someone like me," Rebecca murmurs. "You're so stunning and sweet and-"_

"_Don't even say that," I interrupt. I bend down and nuzzle my nose against hers. "You're a better person than I will ever be. You're so beautiful that not even the goddess of beauty could compete; and you're one of the kindest people I know. _I _don't deserve _you._"_

_We kiss for some time before I continue feeding her. I have no interest in the food; why would I? I had some blood last night, now I'm perfectly fine. _

"_I can't believe Elena and Stefan's wedding is tomorrow," Rebecca says. _

_Before Rebecca, this would have been the day I dreaded; one that would make me feel sick just thinking about it. The one that would depress me. But not anymore. It's strange, but I think I'm finally seeing Elena in her real light. Not that Elena is a bad person, not at all. But she adores Stefan, and though she is a little selfish, she is a good person. I'm not perfect enough for her, but that's okay. Her standards are too high, especially since I am not even with her. But for Rebecca, it's easy. It's _easy _to be this way, to be kind and loving. She makes it easy. _

_Maybe it's meant to be that easy. _

"_I know. One very long day that we can't spend in bed together." I place my head on her chest, sighing at the thought. She laughs, knowing that I think that any day that I haven't spent directly in Rebecca's company is a day wasted. _

_But it is. Why the hell would I want to spend one _second _away from her? I already spend too much time away from her as it is. _

_And yet... We are beginning to have a pattern, a certain domestic air that surrounds us. We argue about things such as dinner; at her apartment I know where the cutlery is; we shower together and if one of us has to dash off (usually Rebecca and usually to get some food – I worry that she barely seems to eat) we left messages on the smoked mirror for each other – and they always end the same way: "P.S. I love you." _

_She's the one I think I could stay with for the rest of my life. If only... If only she knew that I was a vampire. Then I would be confident in our relationship. Until then, I can't be sure – but if I was a human, then we would be solid. In fact I wouldn't just be dreaming of proposing – I would be planning it. _

"_We have all day together," she says, stroking my hair. I feel like a child having his mother soothe him. "We can do whatever you want."_

_I can feel a grin on my face. "Is that a promise?" _

_She laughs as I move the bowls on the bedside table. "Is that all you think about?" _

"_No," I reply honestly. "Just about every ten seconds or so. But that's average for most guys. Besides, you have no idea what you do to me." _

_She strokes my face, and we stare in each other's eyes. "I love you," she whispers, and kisses me on the lips. It's not exactly passionate, but it's sweet and it leads to something more. I roll her on top of me as she laughs, loudly and almost gleefully, like a little child. _

_Thank God for this day – this day where we can be together. I pray to God there are more days like this – many many more. _

Damon was still gazing into the distance. He didn't know how long he'd been standing there, but it did seem a little cooler. With a sigh he turned back and started back towards the boarding house. He hoped that Caroline hadn't baked the house down while he'd been talking to Tyler – after all, it seemed possible.

**xXx **

"Superman? Superman's your favourite super hero?" Liam shook his head. "That's so white bread."

"You blindsided me!" argued Tari. "And what's wrong with Superman? He was a good super hero, and there was the whole Lois Lane romance thing."

"But he's boring," Liam said. "Mr Perfect. No one likes Mr Perfect."

"Alright," Sawyer said, who was getting sick and tired of this argument. "Who's your favourite?"

"Batman," he answered without hesitation.

"Batman?" scoffed Sawyer. "Seriously?"

"What's wrong with Batman?"

"He's a nothing super hero. He has no powers at all."

"But that's the point! He can do whatever he Superman did but without the powers – like defeat Penguin man-"

"That's a bad villain. And a disgusting one." Sawyer wrinkled her nose.

"Okay, what about you?" Liam asked.

"Spiderman," Sawyer replied with perfect precision.

Tari looked at her friend. "Seriously? You have a favourite super hero?"

"And it's Spiderman?" Liam seemed sceptical.

Sawyer sent Tari a quick wink. "He's obviously _very _flexible."

Liam groaned, leaning against the lockers. "Where the hell is Allen? I need the voice of wisdom here!"

"Nefertari?" For a moment Tari didn't even remember that was her. But when Liam and Sawyer turned their heads, she followed their gaze. Mrs Kennedy was standing outside her office, looking very intimidating in her high heels. She beckoned to Tari and the girl nodded. Picking up her bag she followed the teacher, having a feeling that she was going to walk into a huge disappointment.

"Meet you at the canteen," Sawyer hissed.

"Good luck _Nefertari_," Liam called. Tari turned to him and quickly gave him the finger; he broke into loud laughter before turning away and going down the hall with Sawyer. Tari spared them a longing glance before walking into the office.

"Please have a seat," Mrs Kennedy said, indicating the chair opposite. Tari sat, feeling queasy every moment longer then she was sitting there. Surely Mrs Kennedy was going to give her a lecture about how she shouldn't judge her teachers and should except the marks that she was given. _So I made a big fuss over nothing, put Damon and Allen under stress for nothing. Nice going _Nefertari.

"There were many simple grammar mistakes that could have easily been avoided," she said, leafing through papers to find Tari's. "I know that there's more pressure during an exam, but I would recommend proof-reading more. To improve I would suggest writing in more examples of the points you made; some ones that you used barely agreed with the points you made."

With each word Tari felt herself sink lower into her chair. She wished that she could slow down time, forever be sitting in this chair – though she imagined eventually she would grow tired of being in the office for hours. She felt her chest seize when Mrs Kennedy brought out her paper and handed it to Tari.

Tari couldn't help but glance at the paper; she told herself she wouldn't look at it until she was out the door, but naturally she couldn't help herself.

_Oh my God. _

Mrs Kennedy sat opposite her, and allowed herself a rare smile. "Your opinions, however, showed depth and originality; you stick to your argument and argue it well. You're a very talented writer."

Tari didn't hear the words, not really. Her eyes were on the big fat A on her paper. An _A_. She got an A on her paper. And from Mrs Kennedy of all people! She fought the smile that was about to come on her face.

"I spoke with Mr Herman," said Mrs Kennedy, and _that _caught Tari's attention. "I asked him about why he marked you so low. It appears that he thought your arguments were weak. He stands by his grade but I have informed him that the one I have given you is the one that is going to remain." Mrs Kennedy studied her face intently, and Tari could feel her gaze burning her. She tried not to show it on her face, but there were so many emotions inside her at the moment – embarrassment, worry, and mostly success – that she could not tell what she had looked like. "Is there something that you would like to tell me?"

All at once Tari realised what Mrs Kennedy thought; what of course she would have thought. _Of course they look to me, _she thought bitterly. _Why would they look at Sawyer, the girl who gets As in all her subjects? _She felt a quick smouldering shot of anger towards Mr Herman – not Sawyer. Even if this all started with Sawyer, Tari had enraged him even further. She had never been able to keep her mouth shut. Besides, he was the one behaving so childish. If he had given her the grade she had deserved then he wouldn't be under suspicion.

"No," Tari answered. "There's nothing going on."

It didn't look as if Mrs Kennedy believed her, but she didn't press the girl. "Very well. If it's alright with you I would like you to show me all your papers in the future."

"Okay," Tari agreed, standing up. "Thank you Mrs Kennedy," she said, making sure she sounded like she meant it. And she did.

"You're welcome Nefertari," she said, and this time Tari didn't mind. As Tari approached the door, Mrs Kennedy called, "And please inform your friend Liam that I want to hear his _own _opinions, not the ones from websites."

Tari couldn't hide her smile. "I will."

When she closed the door she realised Allen was standing at the lockers opposite. Grinning, Tari rushed forward and shoved the paper in his hand. Allen couldn't help but laugh, glancing at the big A on the paper.

"So you were right," he answered.

"I was right," Tari repeated a big grin etched over her face. Victory tasted as sweet as honey. "And now I've gotten him in trouble."

Allen's smiled faded slowly. "Do you think he'll retaliate?"

Tari shrugged. She was in such a good mood, she almost _wanted _him to. She had proven that she could beat him, and she would do it again if she had to. He would think twice before messing with her again.

"Let me just savour this for a while, okay?" She could see him looking worried, and she moved closer to squeeze his hand. "Smile Allen! Its okay, I'll be okay. I can take care of myself."

With effort Allen sighed, relaxing. A smile graced his lips and Tari, still high on success, let out a little cheer, swinging her arms in the air. Allen couldn't help but laugh; Tari was so hyper, so happy that no one could be annoyed at her. "Race ya to the canteen!" she called before she began running down the hall. A second later she could hear Allen behind her, and picked up speed. He had no chance of catching her; she had been running with Liam, and she had so much energy now. They instantly attracted attention, and Mr Von Trapp yelled out in his rippling accent, "No running in the halls!" But there was no chance that he could catch up to them; they had already rushed past him, unstoppable.

**xXx **

"_What are you doing?" I ask. I can feel her finger tracing my chin, moving over my jaw line. _

"_Learning you off by heart," she murmurs. "I think I could close my eyes and still be able to draw you perfectly. In my mind anyway," she says as I pull her closer to me. "I'm still at the stick figure stage."_

_It's the day of Stefan and Elena's wedding – already. Yesterday had been perfect, just the two of us. But now we have to go out and be presentable; Rebecca has to play the guest, I have to be the best man. The ceremony will be hours itself and that is too long to not have her in my arms. It's scary, how much I have come to depend on her. _

_It's quiet now – we're up early, too early for even Elena the bride. It's perfectly silence, and I love it. It feels as if it's just us in the world, and that's the only way I want it to be. So far I've manage to do so, to make the world just us. _

"_We'll need to get up soon," she says quietly, her voice in my ear. _

"_I know," I murmur, holding her – if possible – closer. "Why don't we just skip it?" _

"_You're the best man!"_

"_I'm sure someone can step in." _

"_Have you written your speech yet?" _

"_Yep." _

_She sits up on her elbows. "Can I hear it?"_

_I sit up too, clearing my voice. "'Stefan and Elena are the two most boring people on the planet. They're perfect for each other.'" I lean back and smile at Rebecca. _

"_That's it?" she asks, raising an eyebrow. I smirk at her in response. "Wow. They should give you an award." _

"_Yeah well, I hate long speeches. Besides, I want to spend more time with you, and the more I hurry the speeches along the better. Alaric's giving one and I've already talked to him about shortening his speech down. I tried to convince him to do it as a favour, and when that didn't work I paid him off with my best bottle of scotch. I've been saving that too." I shake my head as Rebecca's grin grows. "Stefan will drone on for about an hour, but I can't help that." _

"_I see you've got this all prepared," she says. _

_I smirk at my girl. "I'm nothing if not efficient." _

"_We better work on the next part then." When I frown at her quizzically she gets up to my iPod. She chooses a song – _Just a Kiss, _by Lady Antebellum – and twirls round. "Better practice your dance moves." _

_I already smirking as I walk towards her. "No need to worry about that. I was born to dance." _

"_Oh yeah?" She steps towards me, a challenge. "Prove it." _

_I shake my head. Well, she asked for it. I sweep in, using a bit of my vampire speed and lift her off her feet. She gives a surprised gasp before I put her back on the ground. I then position us as if we're ballroom dancing and lead, stepping perfectly. Rebecca is no expert but she follows well, her eyes lighting up in surprise. "I hadn't expected you to know how to dance." _

"_I'm a man of mystery." How true. _

_She is twirled round and I bring her back to me. "I'm not that impressed," she says. "It's not as if you can walk on water."_

"_Oh really," I say, lifting an eyebrow. She looks at my face, eyes on me, knowing I will retort. And I do; I lift her directly off her feet and into my arms bridal style – bad choice of words today, with where my mind is – and swing her round. She is crying out at me, telling me to put me down. Well she would be, if she could form words from laughter. She grips my chest and I feel a sudden whirl of protectiveness over her. I will protect her, with my life. _

_If there was any moment I would want to freeze, any time that I would want to live over and over again, it would be this. Swinging Rebecca in the air, our laughter the music; this moment is pure beauty, pure love. No matter how many years I live, even if I live as long as Klaus, this will be the greatest moment of my life. I know it. _

_Throughout the wedding ceremony, right from the moment Jeremy walks Elena down the aisle (still a little annoyed that Bonnie refused to attend the wedding) to when they kiss, my eyes are always on Rebecca. Her gaze flickers to the couple by the alter, her attention riveted to the wedding, but more often do her eyes return to me. Every time our eyes meet, brown on blue, we can't help but think of that moment dancing. _

_We can't help but smile. _

He heard footsteps up the path. Startled he sat up, taken once more out the past. Glancing at the clock, Damon realised it must be Tari. _Thank God_. When he wasn't thinking about Rebecca, he was thinking about Tari. He couldn't help but worry about that Herman guy. He wanted to investigate this guy – and he would, in time. But he needed to assess the situation first, have Alaric watch him to see what he was really up to. If it turned out to be nothing...

_This is you and Tari. When is it ever nothing? _

By the time she opened the door he was standing day. She was surprised but hid it well – still, not well enough for Damon not to see it. He hadn't appeared at the door the second she stepped through it for a while now, though the Home by Four rule was still strictly applied.

"You're waiting for me?" she asked.

Damon sent her his trademark grin. "I wanted to hear how your day was."

Tari rolled her blue eyes. "You're so predictable." She had no chance of escape as he pinned her to his side, leading her to the sofa. _So much for going up to my room and losing myself in a book. _

He pulled her onto his lap. "So tell me about your day."

Knowing what he wanted, Tari held out a little. "They served pepperoni pizza instead of ham and mushroom today."

"Funny," said Damon. "Now how about that teacher? Did he harass you again?"

"No Damon," said Tari with a laboured sigh. "Nothing happened with him." It was a little bit of a lie; during English that afternoon Mr Herman had been in a particularly bad mood. She could tell that Sawyer was a little stunned at how he lost it over one student who forgot their book. Tari knew it was all aimed at her. He didn't say anything to her – he must have known that they were going to be paid special attention to. But he caught her eye at one moment, darkening at once. She read the look in them, and returned it almost instantly.

_Game on. _

"What about that grade?" Damon asked. "Has it been looked at again?"

In response Tari grabbed her bag, pulling the paper out. She had been glancing at down at her bag throughout the lesson, as if draining power from it. She couldn't help but feel incredibly smug at this.

Damon glanced at the paper, doing a double-take. "You got an _A?_"

Tari shot him a look. "Don't sound too surprised."

In response Damon pressed a kiss on her forehead. "You obviously take after me," he said smugly. She could hear the pride in his voice, see it on his face, and she couldn't help but feel pleased. What a smug pair they must look.

"And that's supposed to make me happy?"

Damon was about to give a smart-ass comment back when he winced. Tari sat up a little when the look of pain didn't leave his face. "What is it?" she asked. Was he having a stroke? Could vampires get strokes?

"Caroline," Damon answered. "She's screaming."

Tari glanced round the house. "Where?"

"She's at the Lockwoods."

His daughter turned back to him. "And you can hear her?"

"Not usually – but when Caroline is _this _happy she screams _particularly _loud." At Tari's bemused look he explained. "Tyler's asked her to marry him."

Tari's face broke out into a grin and she gave a little squeal of her own. _Oh yeah, she's a girl. _"Really? That's brilliant! She must be so relieved."

"She's definitely happy," Damon answered, blocking one of his ears. "Ouch."

Stefan appeared in the living room, followed a second later by Elena. "Is that Caroline?"

"Yep."

Stefan sat down next to Damon. "I'm betting she'll be here in, what, five seconds."

"Ten," Damon countered. They were both wrong when a great gust of wind flew through the house and Caroline appeared beside Elena. The blonde was almost vibrating – Tari had never seen a sight like it.

"TYLER PROPOSED!" Her voice was loud and high enough to break glass; the three vampires covered their ears and Tari flinched from it. "I can't believe it! Look!" She thrust the ring in Elena's face; the brunette tried to get a good look at it but Caroline, being hyper, took it away a second later and showed it off to Stefan, Tari and Damon.

"He was so sweet! My God I love him! I LOVE HIM! I knew he wasn't cheating on me, I knew it!" She was practically dancing in one spot. "And you're all going to be part of the wedding! Damon, Stefan, you'll be best men – Tari, Elena, you're going to be bridesmaids! This is going to be the BEST wedding EVER!"

"I'm so happy for you Caroline." Elena went to hug the blonde, but Caroline's mind wasn't focussed; practically screaming that she had to tell her mother she blew out the house leaving Elena hugging thin air.

The house seemed extremely quiet now that she had gone. "Wow."

"She's like a tornado," Stefan commented.

"Tell me about it."

"Did she say we're going to be part of her wedding?" Damon glanced from Stefan and Elena, and when they both nodded in confirmation he groaned. "God, she'll be unbearable! You know what she's like; if one petal of a rose is out of place the entire day will be ruined."

"Look the bright side," Elena said, collapsing on Stefan's lap. "At least she and Tyler haven't broken up."

"True," Damon agreed. "If he had broken up with her, never mind Caroline – _I _would have killed him."

**xXx **

"Caroline's wedding is in July?" Tari faced Damon properly as he drove her to school. "She's seriously going to have some planning to do."

Damon was already shaking his head. "We'll have to avoid her – when Caroline's stressed she is not pleasant to be around."

"Yeah, we can really avoid Caroline. Besides, we're part of the wedding. They'll be dress fittings and rehearsals and dinners and all sorts."

"These are going to be some fun months," Damon said dryly, pulling up in front of the school. She leant forward over the chair and kissing him on the cheek, about to say goodbye. Damon's hand on her wrist stopped her from exiting the car. "Is he here?"

Tari raised an eyebrow. "Is who here?"

"That teacher?" Damon scanned the grounds, but all he could see were students.

The girl sighed, leaning back in the chair. "Relax Damon, he's not here. It's sorted, remember?"

"I still don't like him," Damon said. Tari saw him grip the steering wheel. _Oh yeah, Herman's being smart. He's messing with a girl who has a dad that's a vampire. Clever move. _

"He's not going to do anything to me." She winked at him. "I'm stronger than I look."

"That's what I'm worried about." Finally Damon relinquished her and she got out the car, waving as she walked away. He continued to watch his daughter as she walked up the steps of the building. For a moment he was surprised to see a dark tabby cat sitting on the ledge. He remembered Tari mentioning it earlier this week, how a cat had been hanging round the school.

He didn't give it another thought, even when his daughter gave the cat a quick stroke on the head before entering the building. But the cat's eyes followed Tari, glancing back at Damon as he drove away.

_Protective_, the cat noted, and gave a quick shake of the head. _That could make things a little difficult._


	19. The Tower

**Hey! **

**So one quick word: I am going back to university soon and I'm predicting that I'm going to be very busy, so I don't think I'll be able to update this story as often as I do now (I have to admit this is some kind of record for me, especially considering the size of the chapter). I am NOT going to give up on this story, but... Life gets in the way of writing, unfortunately. I promise I will update, but I can't promise it'll be often. **

**Anyway, enough sadness! On with the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: I ****do not**** own Vampire Diaries or One Tree Hill or any of the characters; I do own Tari, Allen, Liam, Rebecca, Axel and Regina**

**xXx**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**The Tower**

"I have an idea." Sawyer sat on the spare seat, her face a big grin. Her green eyes were bright and she looked as if she was about to leap out the seat she just sat on.

"And...time." Liam checked on his watch. "I knew this would happen."

"Really," Tari said. "I thought it would be sooner than this."

Sawyer glanced between the three of them. "What are you talking about?"

Allen sent her a reassuring smile, sensing their friend's confusion. "We knew that you'd have a plan about my birthday."

"Like I'd leave it to you lot," Sawyer said, sitting up straight and looking almost regal. "You lot know I'm the one that plans everything here. I thought that to celebrate Allen's birthday we'd go to the Mexican restaurant on Saturday, then we can sleepover at mine." She crossed her arms as if she had just discovered the secret of world peace.

"What if my dad won't let me?" Tari pointed out. "You know what he's like."

"Can't you convince him? I could." Sawyer smirked, thrusting her size C breasts forward. "I don't mind talking to him. He's hot."

"Can you please not call him hot?" Tari begged. She knew Damon was more attractive than most people; she could tell by the way women looked at him when he walked through the room, they way they smiled when he spoke to them. It made her cringe at the way they acted towards him – it was so embarrassing.

Liam leant closed to her, lowering his voice. "It's not as if there's a vampire lurking around like before. Besides, if Sawyer's Mom and Dad pick us up from the restaurant and take us straight to her place, and your father picks you up...what's the problem?"

Tari lifted a shoulder. "It's worth a try," she admitted. Damon and Tari weren't fighting as much as they used to, at least not serious arguments (Stefan claimed that it would be cold day in hell when they got through a day without arguing; Damon said that according to Dante hell wasn't hot at all; Stefan then said that Damon had proven his point); it was possible that he would allow her to go without a fuss. If she promised not to do anything...stupid? No, not to do anything dangerous, though Damon would call it stupid, what she had done with Caleb. There was no reason why she would lie to him – they had nothing planned.

"We'll sort it," Sawyer said confidently, leaning over to squeeze her hand. "We haven't gone out anywhere, not really, not since that Caleb thing-"

"And God knows that wasn't relaxing," Allen threw in.

"I'll have to make sure not to misbehave," Tari muttered. "I'll have to be as good as gold."

Liam sent a look at the other two. "So there's no hope then."

**xXx **

"Keep your arm steady-"

"You're holding it crooked," Damon said lazily from his perch. They were in the history classroom after hours, teaching Tari how to use her crossbow. It was a tiny one, small and sturdy, and Damon was pleased that it wasn't too big. It didn't seem too threatening; he doubted she could do much damage to herself using that.

Tari let her eyes slide from the target drawn on the blackboard to glower at him. "You're not the teacher."

"Would you two stop arguing?" Alaric said. Damon didn't answer, instead he idly grinned from the window he was beside. He didn't seem to particularly mind not lounging in the boarding house; he seemed content enough to watch Tari attempt to use the crossbow – or rather hold it. She hadn't actually been able to use it yet – Alaric had been teaching her how to get it in the right position first.

"Now," Alaric said, positioning her arms straight. Tari tried to ignore Damon _again_, resting her eyes on the target. She pointed the crossbow right on the target. It couldn't be that hard, could it? "Ready?"

"Yeah," Tari said, nodding.

"Okay," he said. "Now...release." Damon sat up a little straighter, watching her take her first shot.

Carefully Tari released the crossbow. She was surprised at the recoil of it, however, and it threw her back a little. The sponge arrow ("Why can't I use a wooden arrow?" Tari asked; "Because this is your first lesson," said Alaric, and Damon added, "And I don't want to be hit by a stake.") bounced on the board, but it missed the target by at least a metre.

Damon burst into laughter. "Nice aim," he commented.

Tari sent him another glare while walking back and forth, shaking her arm. "I didn't expect the recoil to be that tough."

Alaric glanced at the board. "Not too bad for a first attempt."

Still shaking her arm Tari turned round. "Let me have another go," she said, going back to take the crossbow from Alaric.

In an instant Damon was in front of her. "I think that we should call it a night," he said.

Tari attempted to push past him to the crossbow, but it was like bouncing off a dam. "I want to have another go," she whined. "I've only just got to shoot."

"We've been here for at least an hour. And you've also hurt your arm." The vampire reached for her left arm and rubbed it; she couldn't help but wince slightly as he reached the sore point. "It's time to get home." Tari glanced over where Alaric was looking over, holding the crossbow. "We can go get take out."

"Fine," said Tari, deflating. She turned her attention to her teacher. "Same time next week?"

"Sure," Alaric said, patting her on the shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow."

In the car Tari was tired. She hadn't realised how exhausted she was until she sat back in the seat. Life was a blur of school, homework, listening to Caroline organise her wedding, spending time with her friends – including running with Liam on the weekends. Not to mention spending time with her family. That meant Elena, Stefan and Damon. They had become her family; before it had been only her mother really, and Damon of course, but he was more secondary family, like a beloved uncle. Since she had come to live with him, however, he had transformed; now he was definitely her father, definitely primary family.

"Tari, you're going to have to wake up." She didn't realise how close she was to sleep until his voice acted like an alarm clock.

"I am," she said, sitting straighter. "Can we get pizza?"

"Burgers."

"Why burgers?"

"It's easier to get," Damon answered. He glanced over at her out the corner of his eye. She didn't seem up for an argument, even a good natured one. She seemed tired intellectually as well as physically. "What time did you get to bed last night?"

_Bed_. Tari couldn't help but yearn to be lying in her comfortable bed right now, the one that had its sheets changed daily. "Not late."

"Hard day then?"

Tari shrugged her shoulders, once again leaning back in the comfortable car seat. "Not particularly. I guess it's just been a long one." She curled her legs up in the seat.

"Put your feet down," Damon said, switching from concern to stern in an instant.

Tari rolled her eyes; she was willing to wager whether that he loved his precious car more than he loved her. "My shoes aren't even dirty."

"It's the end of January, the ground's muddy."

"Well my shoes aren't."

"Tari, I'm not going to tell you again-"

They both saw a flash of silver at the same time, the lights reflecting off it. Tari gave a horrified cry and pushed herself further down in the seat while Damon braked. But it was too late – they both felt the bump in the car. He had braked so swiftly that Tari felt her body move forward; she now appreciated why seatbelts were so important. She was pushed back in the seat by Damon, who on instinct had put his hand out to keep her in the seat.

"Oh no," Tari groaned, horrified at what had happened. She adored animals and the thought of one hurt was too much for her to bear (she didn't like the thought of Stefan killing animals, but it was either that or humans). She leapt out the car and round to the front, Damon on her heels.

A cat was lying on the road, perfectly still. It wasn't moving, its eyes closed. Damon uttered a curse, though it wasn't as if he was particularly shocked over the death. After all, he had seen far worse. Tari, on the other hand, was young and innocent enough to be upset over it. He predicted a long night of her feeling guilty over the cat – he'd probably end up having to buy her something just to get her to obsess over something else.

"Poor thing," she said, bending down towards it. Her hand reached out to touch it.

"Don't Tari," said Damon. "It's probably got fleas-"

Before he could complete his sense the cat gave shake, lifting its head up. Tari gave a gasp of delight and relief, smiling. She now reached over and stroked the tabby cat; it began to purr as if nothing had ever happened.

"Thank God," she said. She went down and gave it a quick stroke, the cat closing its eyes in delight. "It's okay."

Damon bent down beside her, giving the cat a quick pat on the head. "It must have been stunned. It seems alright now; I can hear its heart beating." In fact, the cat's heart was beating quite slowly, as if it had simply being sitting on the side of the road instead of being hit by a car.

The cat didn't seem interested in Damon; in fact it seemed to be paying all its attention to Tari. "Ooh, it's so sweet." She glanced at Damon. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"I'm not sure," said Damon. He shrugged, standing since the cat didn't bother to notice him.

"It doesn't have a collar," Tari noted, less than subtle.

"We're not keeping the cat," he said without hesitation. He didn't like it anyway. It almost didn't seem like a cat, not when it had given him a cold gaze that could have frozen lava. He knew cats were moody, but still, this one seemed be the queen bitch. He smirked; it should be called Katherine.

"But we've just hit it by a car! We need to take care of it."

"It'll be fine."

"Please Damon," Tari said, turning on him with her pleading eyes. She only used them when she wanted something and Damon was being a stubborn pain in the neck as usual. Nine times out of ten Damon would give in when she used those eyes.

This was not one of them.

"We can't keep it," Damon said. "Stefan drinks animal blood for Christ sake. It wouldn't stand a chance." He was already at the car door, waiting for her to get in. "Let's go Tari."

She turned back to the cat, eyes closed and purring. It didn't seem to mind when she picked it up and put in on the side of the road. "Bye bye kitty. I'm sorry the mean old man won't let me take you home."

The "mean old man" shook his head. "I'm letting you sleep over at Sawyer's tomorrow, aren't I? I can't let you get too spoilt."

They were still playfully bickering, more out of habit rather than actual argument. The cat stood up elegantly, staring as the car lights disappeared down the road.

_I was right. He always seems to watching the child. It may be difficult to get her alone. _It turned away thoughtfully and began walking down the road, heading back to the hotel. _She reminds me exactly of her late mother. She is very loving, just like Rebecca was. Though it still puzzles me that Rebecca fell for Damon. She could have done a good deal better. _The cat gave a sigh. _Still, each to their own I guess. _

**xXx **

"I'm going!" Tari called, putting her arms in the jacket and stuffing her feet in her boots.

Damon appeared beside her, taking her arm – and she flinched. Instantly he let go, frowning. "Your arm hurting?"

Tari nodded, moving it gingerly. "Just a little bit." The recoil of the crossbow had taken its toll; her arm was sore from being knocked back. She had been taking painkillers ever since. It didn't hurt, not unless she tried to lift something, and then it gave out entirely. Without the painkillers it was useless. It would heal in time; after all, she when she slept she relaxed it. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

"I'll take you to the restaurant." He grabbed his car keys and started heading out the door.

"WAIT!" Both Tari and Damon cringed, and the latter motioned her to hurry outside. But the two of them knew well enough: they could run but they there was no way they could hide.

Caroline came in the hallway, facing the two of them. "What do you think is better, tomato or potato and leek soup?" Her face was creased up in anxiety, as if it was a life and death decision.

Neither of them needed to ask what she was referring to. Ever since Tyler had proposed – just like Damon had predicted, though Stefan and Elena had been a little more optimistic – Caroline had been going crazy over wedding plans. She had already written out the guest list, adding and crossing out names and asking the others whether they thought this person should come over the other one; she had already visited seven places to hold the reception (including one in LA) before she decided to host it at the Lockwoods, generously offered by Tyler's mother ("And it'll be used against me for the rest of my life," Caroline said, "but the place really is perfect and we don't have to pay,") and now it wasn't unusual for the phone to ring at 3 a.m. By now everyone knew it was Caroline. Tyler claimed it was worse on his end: sometimes he would be woken up by her sobbing over some nightmare she'd had – something about her wedding dress catching fire and the cake collapsing. It was all very exhausting for everyone.

"Tomato," Tari answered the same time as Damon said, "Potato leek." They glanced quickly at each other before changing their answers at the exact same time.

The blonde rolled her ocean blue eyes. "You two are _so _related. I want an honest opinion."

"It's your wedding – you pick," Tari said, desperate to end this conversation as quickly as possible.

"But which do you think is the biggest crowd pleaser?" she persisted.

"Are we sure that soup's the way to go?" asked Damon, coming away from the threshold towards the other two. "What about fish?"

"Please," said Tari, snorting. "Somebody's certainly going to be allergic or just not like fish."

"Fine," he said, lifting his hands up. "Go with the soup."

"But which one?" Caroline asked.

"Potato and leek," Tari responded this time. "Then offer a tomato salad as another choice."

Caroline slowly smiled at the girl. "That's not a bad idea. I'll ask you more often."

Tari winced as Damon hid his smirk. "See you later," she said, backing away from the door.

"Where're you going?" Caroline asked, half-turned back to the kitchen.

"Out with some friends and then to a sleepover." She gave a wave to Caroline. "Say goodbye to Elena and Stefan for me."

Damon shook his head as they got in the car. "I told you," he sang. "Just wait. It'll get worse as it gets closer. I bet the night before the wedding she'll be waking up every hour or redoing the wedding cake. Good luck with that."

Tari's head swivelled to Damon, alarm. "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't she tell you her latest plan?" Damon couldn't help but hide a smirk. "She's booking a room at the hotel for you all to share on the night before the wedding. She figured it was easier for everyone." He glanced at her. "I'm sure you'll have lots of fun."

"What will you be doing?" asked Tari. "Hanging out with Tyler?"

Damon shrugged. "I'm not sure. Unlike Caroline he doesn't plan every detail approximately five months in advance."

"He'll need to start thinking about it, if he wants to avoid the full moon."

"He'll be fine," Damon said decisively. "The transformation isn't so bad. Didn't used to be though. It used to take hours of agonising pain before he would finally transform for a wolf."

Tari sighed. "Poor Tyler."

"In some ways it's worse to be a werewolf than a vampire," commented Damon. "Imagine having to endure all that pain every month. It gets faster and less painful as he has more transformations, but even so Tyler says it hurts like hell."

"Do werewolves' age?"

"Yes," Damon said. "Slower than humans, but they can't live forever like we can. Again, another advantage over werewolves."

"Is it though? I mean, who wants to live forever?" Tari watched his face carefully for any signs of emotion. She knew better really; Damon had been alive nearly two hundred years now, he knew how to hide his emotions. He had done it for too long, and with the type of life he led, it was necessary.

"True," Damon said. She could hear by the way his voice sounded that he didn't want to talk about it. It was so infuriating sometimes, how he wouldn't answer her questions. Sometimes she thought she knew absolutely nothing about him.

"I wouldn't want to be either," Tari said. "I would rather be a witch. They have all the power."

Damon laughed. "It's not really your choice, is it? It's what makes vampires different; witches and werewolves have to have the genetics for it. Anyone can be a vampire – well, except a werewolf or a witch. A werewolf can become a vampire, but only if their werewolf part is dormant."

"How do you become a werewolf?"

"Like I said before, it comes from genetics. But that's not all it takes: the werewolf part only comes alive if you kill someone."

"What, no werewolf bite?" Tari shook her head. "Are any of the stories true?"

"I doubt it," Damon said, a little bitterly. He could still remember when he attempted to stab Mason with a silver knife. The stupid legends had nearly caused his death.

"What does it mean for me-"

"Are you done with the questions yet?" Damon asked, turning to her with a smirk to show he was only teasing. In honesty he preferred to ask them; it showed that she had a keen mind, that she was curious to learn more.

Yet she really did ask some awful questions sometimes; ones that he did not want to answer.

"But what does that mean with me? How long will I live?"

"I don't know," Damon admitted; another annoyance. He hated it when he didn't know something. "You seem to be aging normally; maybe a little slower than a normal human, but not so much that people would notice."

Tari sighed again out of weariness. "It's all so complicated."

"Tell me about it." He pulled up near the restaurant. "All set?"

She reached in the back for her bag. "Yep. I'll see you tomorrow."

He kept his hand over her arm to stop her from leaving. "Sawyer's dad is picking you up from the restaurant, right?"

Tari didn't roll her eyes, but she wanted to. "Yes. And I'll call you tomorrow to pick me up."

"As long as that's agreed," he said, lighter than he meant. It was still difficult for him to allow her out of his sight. Half the time he had to clutch hold of where he was sitting so he wouldn't grab her back and take her home. Admittedly it wasn't such a risk, her sleeping over at a friend's house – after all, he doubted many vampires would visit the Scott residence. It wasn't a full moon – that had come and gone with little fuss. There was no reason Tari wouldn't be safe. He was the tiniest bit tense, but no more than usual.

"See you tomorrow," she said, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. He watched her as she headed inside, making sure she was safe. No harm would come to her as long as he was watching. If anyone tried to lay so much as a finger on his daughter, they would pay. He adored that girl, against his better judgement. He always knew that love would be his weakness; it always had been. Stefan may have been pure hearted*, but his was an eager one. He tried not to fall in love, he did. But somehow his heart always found someone to love, even when he didn't want to...

_If only I hadn't offered to go out to get dinner. I wished I had stayed in and cooked. Then none of this would be happening. _

_I come back to find the front door left ajar, and that is reason enough for me to hurry. Rebecca is in the kitchen, lying on the ground. It is instinct, I go to her automatically. She is bleeding badly from her stomach, almost choking in agony. She has been trying to cover it, but the red blood is seeping between her fingers. _

"_A robber," she gasps. "I tied to fight him...didn't see the knife..." She coughs. With each one I panic. I don't even notice the blood, my senses don't even pick it up. How can I, when I might lose the greatest thing in my love; the one that I have loved more than anyone else; the one I have waited for my entire life. _

_I will not let that happen. _

_She is fading, I can see it. She struggles to keep them open, and she is trying to speak. To say goodbye? _No.

"_It's going to be okay," I say to her. I can feel the veins round my eyes protrude. Her eyes widen a little as they see them, but I can't focus on calming her at this moment. Instead I tear the skin off my wrist and hurriedly thrust it to her mouth. She doesn't struggle, she doesn't have the energy to. Instead she drinks. _

_She loses consciousness, but I already lift up her shirt to check. Right before my eyes the wound heals, and my entire body collapses in relief. Thank God. Thank God. I don't know what I would have done if she had been killed. _

_Carefully I lift her up and to the bed. I know I should clean the kitchen (a glass has been broken in the struggle) but I can't take my eyes off her sleeping form. I _won't. _I am almost shaking with joy. I almost lost her. I love her and I almost lost her. That robber is lucky; I would have made his death long and tortuous if he had killed her. As it is I will make his death fast once I find him. _

_I am scared though. I cannot hide what I am now. Rebecca has seen it with her own eyes. I cannot lie to her. There is no point; if I wanted any future with her – and I do – I would have to tell her eventually. But damn it, I wanted to do it my own way. I would sit her down calmly and inform her what I am, reassure her that I would not hurt her. But this is perhaps the worst way for it to have happened. Still, what could I have done? I couldn't have called an ambulance, God knows how long it would take for her to get help. It's safer this way – maybe not for me, but I already know that I would sacrifice my entire life for Rebecca. Allowing her in on my secret is nothing, not compared to what could have happened to her. _

_Who says that I would have lived if she had died? _

_Time passes without me noticing it; my eyes are only for her. When she stirs I feel myself sit up, go to her side. "Rebecca," I whisper as she wakes up. "Are you alright?" _

_She sits up, and I can see she is bemused. "What...what happened?" _

_For a moment I feel a rush of hope. Maybe she doesn't remember any of it; maybe I can convince her it's a dream. Stupid I know, for she is already remembering. Her dark minstrel eyes look to me, wide eyed and nervous. _

"_The robber...oh God, he stabbed me!" Her hand goes to her stomach, grasping her torn shirt rapidly. There is no hole in her skin, it is perfect just like her. She then turns her head to me. "And you...your _eyes_." _

_My face must give something away, because one look makes her leap away from me. My chest aches at the sight; my God it hurts more than I ever thought; more than Katherine already, more than Elena even. She pins herself against the wall, but I don't think she really notices; her eyes are on me. "What happened?"_

_I stand slowly, not wanting to terrify her even more. "Calm down." I carefully take a step towards her. "I need to explain some things to you."_

_She is tense, and lifts her head straight. Those eyes do not leave me. She doesn't trust me. I feel another stab of pain. "Explain what?" She doesn't shout; she asks me it almost calmly, though her expression betrays her skittishness. _

_I pause; where to begin? "You were dying from the wound. I gave you some of my blood, which healed you." _

_She is confused. She shakes her head jerkily. "Why? How can you – how does that work?" _

_Slowly I move to her. She pushes herself further against the wall. I take a deep breath, knowing she won't believe me – but then, maybe she will. She has witnessed something that shouldn't happen – why would she not believe it now? _

"_I'm a vampire." _

_Her entire body freezes for a moment of rare stillness before she shakes her head again. "That's – that's not possible! Vampires don't _exist! _They're just a story!"_

"_They're not. I am a vampire Rebecca." _

_Rebecca steps forward, and I see the boldness that lives in her. "Prove it." _

_I can't help but rise to the challenge; it's who I am. In a second I move straight in front of her as quick as lightning. She flinches away from me, another shot of pain. She cannot deny it now; I know she believes it. My Rebecca isn't innocent anymore, and that hurts even more. No longer when she think fairytales are pretend. Now she will check outside before leaving her threshold; she will give everyone a second glance, looking for signs. _

"_How..." She stumbles for words, she cannot grasp them. Finally she lands on them. "You lied to me? All this time?" _

_I'm sure I can't hide my confusion. "What?" _

"_You're a _liar. _You've lied to me all this time, we've been together for months! You haven't even mentioned it!" _

"_You wouldn't have believed me!" I don't want to yell at her, I don't, but I feel myself losing my temper. "You would have laughed in my face, or thought I was insane!" _

"_I thought – I..." She can't understand it. I get it, it's too much. Being a part of the supernatural world often take a lot of explaining to do. I didn't want to burden her with this. I am suddenly overwhelmed with self-hatred. Why couldn't I have let her go? Why didn't I let her cancel on me before Elena and Stefan's engagement party? Why didn't I let her go free from this? If I honestly loved her I would have. I am a terrible person. _

"_Get out." _

_Her words wake me. "What?" _

"_Get out Damon – now." _

_I move forward to her. "Rebecca, please." _

_She slaps my hands away. "Get out! Get away from me _now!_" She slaps me again, trying to get away. In a fit of frustration I grip her wrists and pin her against the wall. We stare at each other, our bodies so close...it's like we're about to have sex. I look into her eyes and – to my absolute amazement – I see no fear in her eyes. When Elena found out she was afraid, you could tell. She may have had guts to face me, but fear was not absent. With her though...there is no fear. She isn't afraid of me. _

_I know then that it's too late. I love her. It's not something I can control anymore. _

_Swiftly I take my hands off her, lifting mine in the air. I turn away from her, and leave the apartment, only stopping to grab my jacket. _

_It's not the end, not for me and Rebecca. She hasn't broken up with me. I know she still loves me. There is hope. _

_I am Damon Salvatore. I do not give up. _

**xXx **

"Finally!" Sawyer grinned as she saw Tari enter the restaurant, pushing the seat towards her. "You're late."

Tari smiled – typical Sawyer. "I'm not late, you're simply early. Besides, Allen and Liam aren't here yet."

"Liam's in the bathroom," her friend corrected her. She shifted in the high stool. Sawyer had picked a high table near the window. It wasn't the most comfortable table, but it was close to the bar and had the best view. "I don't know where Allen is though. Probably late as usual." Her friend leant forward, murmuring in her ear. "Liam's in a bad mood though."

Tari leant her head back, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"He's down about his family." Sawyer turned away, her blonde hair in curls. "He has this notion about not being loved by his parents or something. It's crazy – they adore him. It's all in his head, I know it, but it still gets him down."

"He's jealous," Tari said quietly. She slipped her jacket off, onto the chair.

Sawyer gave a little sigh. "Sometimes I want to shake him. Whatever I say he just ignores me. He's so bloody stubborn."

"He needs to get it though. We can't make him believe it."

"I know, I know. Let's not talk about it." She turned to Tari, smiling. "I don't want to be sad. It's Allen's birthday!"

But none of them seemed to be in a happy mood. Liam greeted Tari politely enough, smiling at her, but he seemed too much in his own head. Sawyer rolled her eyes at Tari, indicating what she thought of his behaviour, but the blonde didn't say anything about it. They both knew they couldn't talk Liam out of his black mood.

Though what was worse was that Allen wasn't happy either. It was his birthday, but he blew into the restaurant as if he was marching away from the hounds of hell. He didn't say much, his eyes lost in another world just like Liam. It was the first time that Allen's mood almost seemed angry instead of worried. She had never seen him like that.

"Okay, what is going on?" snapped Sawyer. Throughout the meal Sawyer had been keeping up a happy stream of conversation, but neither of the boys gave more than one or two word answers. "This is a birthday party! We're supposed to be happy!" Knowing that she couldn't say a word to Liam, she turned on Allen. "It's your birthday Allen. Be happy!"

"Leave it Sawyer," Allen said warningly. "I'm not in the mood tonight."

Instantly the girl softened. "What is it Al?" she asked softly. She reached over and squeezed his hand, but to her surprise he yanked it away.

He must have seen the hurt on her face – and the shock on Tari's – because he relaxed and said, "I'm sorry S. I didn't mean it. I've just had a bad day, that's all."

"Join the club," Liam muttered.

Sawyer rounded on him. "Oh please!" she snapped. "I have no sympathy for you-"

"Of course not!" Liam replied back hotly. "You never do, and yet I always look out for you-"

"Smother me you mean! And what are you saying? That I don't look out for _you?_ You're my family-"

"Then act like it-"

"Enough!" Tari's voice echoed through the restaurant, and a few people turning their heads. She lowered her voice, hadn't meant to speak so loud. "Let's not fight, please. Let's just enjoy ourselves." She moved her hand towards Allen who was closest to her, but winced.

"What?" Liam asked, sitting up. Her pain seemed to have brought him out of his thoughts, at least for the moment.

Carefully she lifted her arm back up. "My arm hurts from the recoil-"

"Of the crossbow?" To her amazement – and Sawyer's – Liam smiled. "Of course. Girls can't use that sort of thing-" He couldn't finish his sentence when Sawyer flung a crumpled napkin at him.

Tari didn't particularly notice; she was rifling through her bag. "Damn it," she cursed. "I've forgotten my painkillers!" Without them her arm would ache throughout the meal; she wouldn't be able to use it without pain shivering down it.

"Do any of you have some?"

"Do I look like a drug dealer?"

"You're not helping."

"What Liam is trying to say is no, we don't," Allen said.

Tari swore, though she lowered her voice when she did. "I'll need to go to a pharmacy-"

"No you don't." Three heads turned to a fourth. Sawyer's green eyes were gleaming like a cat's; she was excited. Instantly Tari was on her guard. She turned her head and got notice of a waitress, pulling out an ID. Tari exchanged a look with the boys: Allen was still in his head, but Liam was attentive to her actions. "Can we have four margaritas please?" She gave the waitress her ID, and they couldn't possibly have looked twenty one, but nonetheless she went away and came back with the drinks.

"What are you doing?" Liam hissed as soon as the waitress was out of earshot.

"It's Allen's birthday – we're celebrating!" She passed each of them a drink. "Besides which, alcohol is a drug – it'll cure Tari's pain and make us all happy. We could all use a bit of happiness right now, even if we need alcohol to bring it out."

Tari was doubtful – Sawyer didn't have to face her father if it went wrong – and even Liam, who could usually be counted on to be reckless, looked hesitant. It was Allen who grabbed the drink from Sawyer's hands.

"I'm with S," he said. Sawyer sent him a half-grateful, half-triumphant smile. "She's right, it's my birthday. I'll do anything to forget right now."

Tari shot Liam a look of confusion, and he gave her the tiniest of shrugs; it was clear he didn't know what was going on with Allen right now. Neither of them had any inclination to ask. Tari turned to Sawyer to see if she knew, but she was holding up to her drink and motioned the others to do the same. "To Allen's fifteenth birthday!" she declared, holding it up. "And to be happy!"

Tari sent Liam a look. He sent her one in return as if to say, _what the hell? _He clinked drinks with her and drank the margarita. Tari knew that she was being reckless, but Sawyer was right; it would end the pain in her arm. She forced the sour liquid down her throat and let the chips fall where they may.

It happened quickly – Sawyer had drank alcohol frequently before and so had Liam, so it didn't affect them as much. But Tari had barely drunk any alcohol at all, and it became apparent that Allen hadn't either. Suddenly everything seemed brighter, funnier. She laughed at lame jokes Liam said and gobbled down the food at an amazing speed. Allen was grinning widely and would burst out into fits of laughter without reason – causing Tari to laugh with him. Sawyer and Liam didn't act like that, but they ordered more drinks and began acting silly too.

Tari could understand why people drank alcohol now. It made them feel more confident, act silly and not care about what other people said or did. People were looking at their table, but why was it important? Looks couldn't kill.

Currently the food had been eaten and Sawyer and Tari were watching Allen and Liam arm wrestle. Tari cheered for Allen while Sawyer (sticking with her family) cheered for Liam. "Ha!" Liam said, banging Allen's arm down for the third time.

"No fair!" Allen practically yelled. "You cheated!"

"Liar!"

"Cheater!"

"Idiot!"

"Weakling!"

"Harlot!" Tari called out, unable to help herself. This was what drinking was – that quiet voice that often stayed silent when Tari was sensible was made louder. It was like word-vomit.

"Whore!" Sawyer cried out, joining in the game.

"Bitches," said Liam, his head shaking. "Crazy bitches."

"Us, crazy?" Sawyer said, half-laughing. "I'm not the insane one."

"And are you saying you're sane?"

"I can't follow this conversation," Tari whispered loudly to Allen, who simply laughed.

"Must be a family trait." Sawyer stood up, wavering a little in her high heeled boots. "Now this lady," Liam snorted, "has to use the bathroom. Excuse me." She walked to the toilets, leaving the table.

Liam stared after to her for a moment before leaning back in a chair. "What's with her?" he mumbled.

"You're not making any sense Lee," Allen said, giving him a shove that nearly sent him off his chair. Tari closed her eyes, feeling tears of laughter squeeze out of her eyes. She suddenly felt the desperate need to go to the bathroom and rushed away.

Liam – always wise enough to catch on, even when he was tipsy – called out, "Send us a postcard for Niagara Falls!"

Tari (remembering they were in a restaurant) subtly gave him the finger before swinging through the doors to the bathroom. She wasn't prepared to find Sawyer leaning against the sink, tears trailing down her face.

Tari froze, unsure what to do. She had never seen Sawyer cry before – though she had to admit that her friend looked beautiful while she was crying, a stunning weeping angel. The blonde looked surprised to see her friend too, and maybe a little embarrassed. But they were friends.

Forgetting her urgent need to pee, Tari moved to her friend. "What is it S?" she said, wrapping her good arm round her shoulders.

Sawyer shook her head. "It's nothing, don't worry about it." She wiped her tears away from her eyes, looking away from Tari.

"S," Tari said firmly, "this is me. This is _us_." It sounded like the right thing to say, but then she was tipsy – what did she know?

Sawyer turned back to Tari. "It's nothing T, really. It's just...Peter."

"Peter? Who's – oh, Mr Herman."

"We're having problems," she muttered. She seemed a little ashamed about admitting it, but she did anyway. Maybe it was a relief to her to finally say it – after all, who else could she talk to it about?

Tari sat on the sink. "Like what problems?"

"He's just being so moody lately," she said. She turned to mirror, checking her make-up as if she was trying to forget the whole thing. "Like if I say one wrong thing he'll rip my head off. He used to be so sweet but lately... I don't know. He's worse than some of the girls at school."

_It's my fault. _Tari was the reason Mr Herman was so annoyed all the time. He was taking it out on her friend. Tari closed her eyes, leaning against the glass. Damn it. She should have known better.

Was this what he meant by _game on? _

"It's fine T, really." Sawyer squeezed her friend's hand and for a moment it was just the two of them, friend's forever. The blonde broke it off, sighing and leaning against the sink. "Lee knows something's up. He knows me too well. I'm sure he already knows I'm near tears." She groaned in frustration, slamming her first on the sink.

Tari glanced at him in alarm. "Relax S. It's no big deal." What she actually wanted to say was that she should break up with Mr Herman – then Tari could truly make his life miserable. If she was delicate...

"Maybe – if he's making you so upset – you should break up with him." Tari suggested it timidly, not wanting to put too much pressure on Sawyer – and not wanting to make her feelings obvious.

Sawyer was already shaking her head. "I love him," she said, the three words and eight letters Tari did not want to hear. "He's just stressed out right now. He'll get over it." She was already sorting her hair, pretending this thing had never happened. "I'd better get out there before the boy's think we're having a lesbian love-fest."

Tari couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at the thought – and realised it was probably Sawyer's intention. "Wait!" After applying more lipstick the brunette leapt off the sink and went to Sawyer. To the blonde's surprise she pressed a kiss on Sawyer's cheek, leaving a huge mark on her cheek. Sawyer moved away, stunned at Tari's behaviour. The latter sent her friend a wink. "Give them something to get excited for."

The blonde couldn't help it; she let out a huge laugh and returned the wink. "I'll see you out there." The door swung closed and Tari was left alone.

Once Sawyer had left Tari realised how desperately she needed to go to the bathroom.

**xXx **

"Okay, so the starter of the wedding is taken care of. Now for the main course-"

"Why don't we take a break?" Stefan asked. He glanced round the living room. He was willing to drop the television on Caroline if it would get Elena back in the room (it wouldn't hurt Caroline after all; she was a vampire). He was a guy for God's sake! Okay, he may not be the toughest one around but that didn't mind he wanted to talk about menus and floral arrangements.

"I've got less than six months before the wedding Stefan!" Caroline fretted. "I know I'm probably over-reacting-"

"Thank God you said it first," Stefan said, relaxing in the chair. He sent his friend a shy grin. "I know I'm your best friend, but even I was terrified to hint about it."

Caroline let her face go in an easy smile – one that Stefan hadn't seen in ages, ever since she began to stress over the wedding. "But seriously Stefan: five months isn't very long at all. I know that it's partly my fault, changing the wedding to June 30th, but Tari's birthday's in July and I don't want to overshadow it – and we'd have to go away for honeymoon and if we cut it too late then we'd miss her birthday."

"Where are you going for your honeymoon?"

"The Caribbean – for two weeks! At least that's where I want to go, but Tyler would prefer skiing in France, so I'm thinking we might do one week in France and then the Caribbean." Caroline shook her head dreamily. "He's so lucky to have me. I'm going to make such a good wife." As Stefan laughed she went to the fridge, bringing a blood bag with her. "But this will be Tari's first birthday without her mother, and I think we should all be there for her."

Stefan reached his hand over and squeezed Caroline's. "You're a good person Caroline Forbes."

Caroline smiled at her friend. "You are too Steffie."

The vampire pulled away, groaning. "I told you not to call me that!"

Laughing Caroline tossed her blonde hair. "Well you can't call me Caroline Forbes. Soon I'll be Caroline Lockwood." She frowned. "Oh God, I'll be Mrs Lockwood. Jesus. Or maybe... We can be Tyler and Caroline _Forwood_." When Stefan groaned she shook her head. "Think about it," she said, half-laughing. "That sounds much better, and it's _both _our names!"

They both heard Elena coming down the stairs, but when she appeared in the living room her face was gloomy. Instead the smiles died a little on their lips. "What is it?" Stefan asked.

Elena collapsed on her chair – one that had been known to be hers, especially when Damon and Stefan were watching sport. "I was just talking to Jeremy. He sends his apologises Caroline but he's not coming to the wedding."

"_What?_" Caroline sat up straighter and inwardly Stefan groaned. Just when he had gotten her to calm down...

"Why's he not coming?" she asked.

Elena sent her friend a knowing look. "You know why Caro."

Angrily Caroline stood up and began pacing up and down the room. Stefan moved to sit beside his wife, comforting her. He could tell she was upset; she had wanted to see Jeremy too. She smiled gratefully at him as he kissed her on the forehead.

"This is ridiculous," Caroline muttered, one hand on her hip. "Completely ridiculous. It's been nearly sixteen years! Why can't they just bury the hatchet? It would be good for them to see each other, to make amends..."

"We can't make them," Stefan reminded her, acting as Caroline's moral compass.

"I don't know if Bonnie's even coming to the wedding. I haven't even sent the invitations out yet!"

"Then maybe you should ask her," suggested Stefan. He felt his beloved wife stiffen. She didn't like talking about Bonnie and Jeremy.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah," she said, happier. "That's what I'll do. I mean, Bonnie and Jeremy have to come. We survived _Klaus _together. What can break that kind of bond?"

Neither Elena nor Stefan answered; they didn't need to. They all knew love can mend everything together, but it could also break it apart too.

**xXx **

"Stupid heels," Tari muttered as she pushed the door of the toilets open. She managed about four steps before nearly tripping over herself – that is, if someone hadn't caught her.

She righted herself almost instantly, a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she said to the woman. "I didn't mean to-"

"It is alright child," the woman said quickly. Her hand lingered on her a second too long on Tari's arm, but before Tari could take much notice of it she pulled her hand away. "Be careful though – I saw the manager come in."

Tari's heart sank – the waitress may have given them alcohol, but the manager wouldn't hesitate to throw them out, or worse; call their parents. Damon would kill her. "I love you," Tari said without thinking. When the woman laughed the girl tried to come to her senses. "I mean thank you, for letting me know. We'll go."

The woman with light brown hair nodded. "It would be wise. It would be shame to get caught. After all, you are only young once."

Tari gazed at the woman before letting a genuine smile grace her lips. "Thank you. I mean it." She almost skipped away back to friend's table, who thankfully were already paying the bill.

The woman's eyes followed them as they left. _Do not thank me child_, she thought, her brown eyes sad. _I can do nothing to help. _

**xXx**

Sawyer led the way home – the second after she had ordered the drinks she'd told her father that they would stop off at The Grill, therefore they would be late. If she had told Tari this when the girl was sober, she would have been furious – this was one of the things that Damon insisted on. If he knew she was walking home in the dark, he would go mad.

But Tari didn't care now – in fact the walk in the fresh air made her feel better. The bag didn't even feel that heavy, and her arm didn't hurt at all. They were joking and laughing too much.

Liam paused suddenly; Allen who was behind him knocked into him and they both stumbled. "Jesus Lee, what is it?"

"Look." His voice was a low whisper. The trio turned their heads to see what had made his eyes so huge.

Instantly they saw it. How could they not? It dominated the view, no one would be able to miss it. Tari herself couldn't help but be drawn to it: it was the most beautiful colour of silver. She almost wished it was a full moon, because it would make it shine even brighter, like a land-lighthouse.

"It's the tower," Liam hissed.

Sawyer tossed her blonde head towards him. "It can't be," she said, though she sounded uncertain. After all, she was seeing it with her own eyes.

"What's the tower?" Tari asked immediately. It was so frustrating, how in some ways she was still an outsider.

"It's a legend in Mystic Falls." Allen's voice sounded sober and quiet, not like it had before.

"But it's just a legend," began Sawyer.

"Of course it isn't!" snapped Liam. "How can you be so dense S? _Look_." He pointed. Over the heads of the trees they could see it clearly: the tower was tall, peering down on the tops. It was not tall like great stone towers that you saw in films, but small. Nonetheless it was tall enough to be intimidating, for the four of them to crane their necks to look up at it.

"What is the legend?" persisted Tari.

"Nothing big," Allen said, his eyes still faced on the tower. "It's say that a tower appears in the forest during the night and only at night. Not in the day though. People say they've seen it during the night but when they go back during the day it's disappeared. We've all been told it when we were children, like a scary story, but we thought it was just a tale..."

Tari turned back. It looked so beautiful... Squinting she gazed right up at the top. Were they windows at the top?

"Let's go," said Tari, taking steps towards it.

Liam grabbed her arm (thankfully her good one). "Are you stupid?" he hissed. "You do not go to a haunted tower!"

"It's not haunted, that's not what the legend said," countered Tari. "It simply disappears during the day." Eagerly she moved closer to it, going off the beaten path. Twigs snapped against her face as if trying to pull her back, but she ignored them. "Are we really going to miss a chance to see it?"

"No," Liam said stubbornly.

"I say we go." Allen stepped towards her, following Tari. "She's right. Besides, I'm a warlock. Maybe this place will strength my powers or something?" His eyes were brighter than usual; Tari could see the ambition in them, a rare sight in Allen.

Liam glanced at Sawyer, and she too looked unsure. But she said, "If one of us goes, we all go. It would be reckless to separate right now."

"So we go," Tari said happily and strode forward, leaving the others to follow in her wake. She could hear Liam muttering curses behind her, but he went with them. After all, it was the four of them; all or nothing.

As they got closer, however, Tari began to feel nervous. Before she knew it they were right in front of the tower. She couldn't tell what type of stone made the tower. It didn't look like brick, it looked almost like marble. No wonder it shone.

It was strange though. It was almost...like she knew the place. Perhaps she had seen it in a book, or something similar?

"Oh my God," she heard Allen whisper. She moved towards the other three, and realised they were staring at a door. It was a wooden door, like something from the 1400s. Timidly Tari lifted her hand and grabbed the handle. It turned easily and opened, to reveal a set of stairs.

"Wow," Sawyer breathed. "It's beautiful."

"It's creepy," corrected Liam. He shifted from one foot to another, clearly nervous. "We shouldn't go up there."

Tari turned to him boldly. She herself didn't know where he found such bravery. Maybe it was the alcohol – though if Damon was here, he would say otherwise. He would recognise that fearlessness instantly, and he would curse when he saw it. Tari had her mother's bravery – yes, Rebecca was brave, sometimes even braver than Damon was. There was a difference; Damon was reckless; Rebecca was fearless. Tari possessed that bravery, and while Damon had adored that about Rebecca, he wished to God Tari didn't have it. With her stubbornness it would get her into trouble.

"Why not?" Tari asked.

Liam glowered at her through the darkness. "Who knows what's up there? What if there's some man with a chainsaw?"

"You've been watching too many horror films," she answered dismissively. She turned to the other two, knowing Liam couldn't be convinced. "Are we going?"

The other Scott looked as hesitant as her cousin, but Allen grinned. "Of course," he said. "Why should we be so scared? It's only a tower. Besides, we have each other. As long as we stay _together_," he said, emphasising his point, "then we'll be fine."

Tari sent a triumphant look at Liam and whirled on her heel, heading upstairs. Liam stuck his arm out, blocking her. "Liam-"

"If you insist on doing this, then at least let me go first." His face was made of stone, reminding her eerily of Damon, but he turned and started up the stairs. Tari waited by the door, stunned at his behaviour and feeling suddenly cruel for making him do this.

"Alright," Liam called from further ahead. "I can't see anything. I deem it's safe."

Tari went up the stairs, Sawyer behind her and Allen bringing up the rear. "Has your soul been taken?" the blonde called out with forced cheerfulness.

"It was the moment I was born," Liam called back, and to Tari's relief she could now see him. He turned to her, and though it was pitch black she could see the curve of a smile on his face. She was forgiven; perhaps he too was enjoying this.

They carried on up the stairs, though it seemed to be a long way. Every so often one of them would trip over the steps, which despite the outward beauty of the tower were not even and worn down. The person who tripped would cry out and cause alarm to the others, though thankfully none of them had fallen. They didn't even feel drunk anymore; the situation had left them all quiet sober, though Tari had to admit she was feeling a little eager.

"Maybe it's a never ending set of steps – we'll never reach the top," Sawyer suggested.

"Like a curse," Tari added.

"Please no," Liam said. "This would be a very sad life."

A few minutes later, to their intense relief, there was a shed of light underneath another door. "A door," Liam said with relief. He grappled with the handle, finally twisting it. When it opened light shone over them, and they all blinked as if they were seeing the sun for the first time.

They were in a small room: there was table, a chair, a few book shelves and a small stool. The ceiling was so low that Liam (who was the tallest) had to bend down. There were even candlesticks! But the place had a thick layer of dust, and there were spider webs in the corners of the room so thick that it looked as if they had been purposefully made to make the place look creepy. Tari had to pinch her nose to stop herself from sneezing.

Allen glanced round, running a finger over the shelf over a bookcase. "It's been abandoned," he murmured. "No books, no paper. It's as if there was never anyone here."

"As if it was set for someone, but they never got to claim it," Sawyer chimed in thoughtfully.

Liam didn't admire the room; instead he turned to Tari, who seemed to be leading them. "Are you satisfied now?" he asked; it looked as if it was annoying him.

Tari ignored his tone; instead she turned her head, indicating another staircase – one which Liam hadn't noticed. This one was made of finer stone, and Tari wondered why it seemed less worn down than the other one. She moved towards it, feeling Allen behind her. She heard Liam utter a soft sigh of annoyance, but she already knew he was following her.

This staircase was shorter, and the cool air greeted them as they reached the top. There was no roof now, and the open sky stared down at them, only the stars watching over them. There was some structure, such as the large archways. It was as if they were meant to be windows, but there was no glass.

This stone seemed to be even more silver, as if the entire building was magic. Instantly Tari felt as if she was on the edge of the world – no, on top of the world. There was indeed nothing above them, not even the clouds, but the stars.

"Amazing," she heard Sawyer breath.

"Beautiful," added Tari. She wanted to get married here. Even Liam seemed in awe of the place.

They were quiet for a long while, until one by one the others went down the stairs again, still silent. Only Tari remained, craning her neck so she could look at the beautiful sky. When she looked round the roof, it almost seemed like...she knew it. That she had been here before. But she had never been here before, she knew that – how the hell would she not be able to remember this place? How would anyone be able to forget it?

She looked to one of the archways. For some reason that particular archway seemed more familiar to her than the others, a rush a déjà vu hitting her like a river.

She did something very foolish then.

Without thinking she took the big step up so she was standing on the edge of the tower, right under the archway. There was nothing in front of her now but thin air; in fact if she took even so much as half a step forward she would fall.

_And he lungs for me, and I should move away but I can't, I don't, I have no option. I have to stay there. He lunges at me and I manage it, I succeed, but then I fall through the air. _

_Falling... _

_Falling..._

_Falling... _

Tari gasped, her chest almost collapsing in realisation. No... No, it was impossible. _It can't be. _

"Tari, can we go now?" Liam sounded annoyed now, impatient. He hadn't wanted to come here right from the very beginning; there was something about this place that unsettled him. He wanted to go back to Sawyer's, to forget that this place existed though he knew that would be impossible. How could they forget the legendary tower?

He hadn't expected to see Tari right on the edge, as if she was about to jump. "_Tari! _What the hell are you doing?" He realised that it wasn't a good idea to yell at a person when a sharp surprise could make them slip and fall, but he himself was scared. First they had come to this place, and now Tari looked as if she was about to jump. What if there was a spirit that possessed them? He realised how insane that sounded, but the fear in his stomach made it seem like anything was possible.

To his intense relief she whirled round and rushed from under the archway towards him. Her face was pale, her blue eyes making her seem almost ghostly. She gripped Liam tightly. "We have to go Liam."

"Well that's what I've been saying-"

"There's something wrong with this place." Only then could he hear the fear in her voice. She didn't look him in the face, his eyes fluttering round like a hectic bird. "I don't understand. It's almost like it's..." She couldn't form the words; after all, how was it possible? She hadn't even _seen _this place before, how was she able to see it in a dream? She didn't dare tell Liam that, or Allen or Sawyer. She could sound insane. She almost laughed then. _Could? _She did – she was.

Liam bent his head down, trying to see into her eyes. "Tari, what is it?"

"Nothing, it's – this was a mistake, that's all. Let's go, please."

Her tone was so utterly pleading that she almost succeeded in scaring Liam – who had more dislike of the place then he cared to admit, and it was making him nervous too. But he forced himself to keep calm when he said, "Okay. We'll get the others and go, okay?"

Tari nodded, trying to keep herself calm as Liam led her down the stairs, keeping hold of her. They were both nervous. The sooner they got away from here the better.

**xXx**

She walked into the room – it was a hotel, but really it should have been called an apartment, for it was spacious and not cramped like some of the places they had been. It wasn't luxurious – but then, nothing would ever match the extravagance of the Spanish palace Alhambra, or the bathhouses or Rome. She had to resign herself to the fact that those days were gone. But she couldn't see any of the apartment, for the place was smothered the darkness – that is, except on the balcony.

She sighed, already knowing what was going to happen. She opened the glass door and onto the balcony, where Axel was sitting. No matter what body he was in, he was always beautiful to her. But at her age, she knew that there was no true beauty in physical features; it was what on the inside that mattered.

He did not look at her. "You went to see her again, didn't you?"

She sighed, going to the railing. "Yes," she said.

He didn't swear – Axel never lost his temper, it was what she loved about him. Then again, they had been together for over two thousand years. He knew her and she knew him, they knew each better than you could imagine. It never got boring though. That was the beauty of true love.

"Regina, what are you thinking?" he asked her. "I have already told you there is no point going to see the child. You cannot do anything for her."

"I cannot help it," Regina said, turning to Axel. "This is Rebecca's daughter. I do not what her to be harmed."

"Nor do I Regina," said Axel. "But what can I do? I have seen the future; it cannot be rewritten."

"You do not know that for sure," Regina said. "You've seen the course of history change before. When Cromwell defeated Charles I you proclaimed England would never be ruled by a monarchy again; and yet you woke up during a storm and said that Cromwell was dead and Charles I's son would come back and rule. You have to admit that the future can be changed."

"Yes," Axel conceded. "The future can be changed, but it is rare Regina." His expression softened when he saw her and stood, going towards her. He held her and she pressed her face into his shoulder. "I am sorry my darling. I fear that you have held on too much hope."

Regina breathed in his scent. Most of it had changed – after all he had changed bodies so often, how could it be expected to stay the same? But there was still the underlying scent of apples, fresh – always there, as if that was the scent of his soul. "How can I let this happen to Rebecca's daughter? Rebecca was willing to do anything to protect her child. She would want me to watch over her."

"I understand Regina, but as I said before, you can't change the future. It is laid out like a path, and only rarely does another path emerge. You cannot continue spying on her and hoping that her future will change." He pushed her back, stroked her beautiful face. "I am afraid it will only make your disappointment even greater."

She understood what Axel was saying, she did. He was right really, and he was indeed only trying to protect her. But at the same time she couldn't resign herself to it. She had asked Axel before to see what would happened to Tari, and he tried for her, but they both knew that you could not control the Sight. He held back the truth for an even longer time from her, but she had known that he was keeping it from her. She knew him too well.

When he finally told her what he saw, Regina cried – unusual for her. She had never met the child, but she knew Rebecca and had loved Rebecca. And Rebecca had loved Tari with everything she had. She had been Rebecca's best friend – surely it was her right to protect the child?

_The moment I knock on the door Rebecca answers. My friend's face is pace and I can tell she has been shaken. I take her in my arms and hug her. I feel her grip me in return. She is terrified. _

"_Come in," she says and I walk inside. Though Rebecca has been to my home I have rarely entered her apartment. It is very modern for my taste, but nice enough. I do not take a long look at the decor – this is an emergency. _

"_I saw him," Rebecca whispers. She seems unhinged somehow, and cannot keep her hands still. She is near tears. "Oh Regina, I saw him. And I can't do a damn thing to him – even... How am I supposed to stand up to him? I'm just a human." _

"_Rebecca Snow, you are not just a human." I take her hand and squeeze it. "You are more than that. I have met billions of humans over my lifetime Rebecca – among others – but none of them are like you. You are special." _

_Rebecca is already shaking her head. "I'm not special. I may have carried a half-human half-vampire baby and lived to tell the tale, but I'm not special. _She_," says Rebecca, glancing down the hall to where her daughter is sleeping, "is special. It's clear." _

_I see my friend looking down the hall. "Do you want me to check on her?" Rebecca doesn't like it when I call Tari 'the child'. A force of habit I'm afraid._

_She nods and I go to the bedroom. Every time I look at the child I feel it; an electric bolt sizzling down my body. It lasts only for a moment but that's enough. An ability of our type is to be able to see behind the human masks and reveal what is actually hidden underneath. I feel it when I see other supernatural beings, but Rebecca's daughter was different; I have never seen another being such as her, therefore I have never felt what I do when I look at her. She should not exist._

"_She is fine," I say. "Would you like some tea?" _

_Rebecca glances up, her brown eyes watery. "Can we have something stronger?" she asks. I cannot help but smile and bring out some wine. I pour two glasses and watch my friend drink it in one gulp and pour herself another glass. _

"_What are you going to do Rebecca?" I whisper. _

_She lifts her gaze. "Damon's coming." _

_I have never met Damon Salvatore, but I do not like him. As a supernatural being I have heard many things about the infamous Salvatore brothers. Both fell for the elusive Katerina Petrova, both got their hearts broken. Damon Salvatore drowned his sorrows in killing, but it is widely acknowledged that it is not his nature; the younger brother Stefan, however, has an even worse reputation for killing. A decade or two will pass and he will control his desires, but you then hear of an entire village being wiped off the face of the planet without a trace. That is the trade mark of a true vampire, and more often than not it has been the work of Stefan Salvatore. Both fell in love with the doppelganger, and Stefan succeeded in winning her heart. It was then rumoured that the oldest brother, Damon Salvatore fell for a human. The trail ended there until I officially met Rebecca – and that was when I realised how the story truly ended with the birth of a child. I still do not like the Salvatore brothers despite the fact they have not killed innocents for years now. I have seen too many people try to change their spots and fail to believe they have truly changed. _

_I cannot help but snort. "Damon has accomplished many feats Rebecca, but I doubt even he can help you." _

"_You don't know him Regina." _

_This is one of the things we quarrel over: Damon. Rebecca believes that he can solve everything; I am doubtful over his abilities. I understand though – if you ask me you always leave a piece of your heart, even if it's a tiny one, to your first love. I think Rebecca left a big piece with Damon Salvatore. _

"_He can help," Rebecca says confidently. "He will protect us. Even if he doesn't protect me, he'll protect his daughter. He adores Tari." _

_I close my eyes. "I hope you are right my friend. I hope with all my heart that Damon Salvatore can protect you. The enemy you are fighting against is incredibly strong. You had better be prepared." _

_Rebecca gives me the look that I call her warrior look: the one where I see her eyes harden, and I imagine her as one of the great women of the world – such as Isabella of Castile, a better warrior than most men – ready to battle whatever the cost may be. "I will not let him hurt my daughter. Even if I have to die myself, I won't let it happen."_

_Oh Rebecca, _Regina thought sadly, still holding on to Axel. _You were willing to put your life on the line for your daughter. And you did. I am sorry to have lost you._

**xXx**

For absolutely no reason at all, Damon woke up. He pushed himself off the mattress and stumbled to the window, still half asleep. He felt uncertain for some reason, a gnawing feeling deep in his stomach. He was about to leave the bedroom to check on Tari when he remembered that she was at Sawyer's. The vampire gritted his teeth, hating the fact he allowed Tari to stay with a friend.

He checked his phone. Tari hadn't text him when she got inside. He muttered a curse over his daughter's forgetfulness – surely she was home now? It was nearly one in the morning.

_What if she isn't? _

He ignored the voice of doom and called his daughter. Tari was in the bathroom, staring at her reflection. Her mobile buzzed on the table and she saw the name DAMON. She knew that he would continue to pester her until she answered, and if she didn't answer then he would come over – and that would be worse.

"Hey Damon," she greeted tiredly.

"Did I wake you?"

"No, I'm just getting ready for bed."

"You didn't text me when you got home." His tone was reproachful.

She suppressed a sigh and leant against the sink. "Yeah, I know. I forgot, I'm sorry."

"Tari, you know this only works if you check in with me."

His daughter's mind was too caught up with what happened to argue. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

Just like Tari couldn't fight him when he was calm, Damon couldn't fight her when she was apologetic. He sighed, leaning back on the bed. "Okay, just call me in the morning when you want to be picked up. Are you about to go to bed?"

"Yeah, I'm just finishing up in the bathroom. Allen's coming in after me-"

"Allen?" Damon sat up again, alert. "Are Allen and Liam there?"

"Yeah," Tari answered, a little surprised at his alertness. Then she felt a smile growing on her face. "Didn't I mention that?"

"_No_, you didn't. I thought we talked about boys-"

"Boyfriends, we talked about boyfriends. Not boys."

"You're not sleeping in the same bed with them, are you?"

"Maybe."

Damon put his hand to his head, closing his eyes. "I don't like this Tari." He had been a boy once, a teenage boy, and he had lived in a time where he'd had to curb his thoughts and desires (though when Katherine arrived that all went to hell). Nowadays boys didn't even try; they had foul mouths and grabby hands, and Damon detested the thought of Tari having a boyfriend.

"Calm down Damon. I'm also sharing the bed with Sawyer. We're not going to have multiple orgies-"

He groaned. "Please tell me my fourteen year old daughter didn't use the word _orgies_."

She rolled her eyes, but despite everything that had happened that night she couldn't help but grin. "Nothing's going to happen. We're literally going to go to bed now."

"No boyfriends allowed, okay? And after tonight we're going to talk about sleeping in the same bed as them."

His daughter sighed. "Looking forward to it."

He smirked. "Night kid."

"Night Damon." Once she hung up the phone Damon curled up under the sheets, feeling a ton better. His child was safe. It was stupid really, but he'd had a feeling that something was wrong. Shaking his head he turned on his side and closed his eyes, comforting the fact that Tari was safe.

**xXx**

"I've decided to forgive you."

_Oh thank God_. She doesn't say that though; time has taught her to keep her mouth shut. He didn't like her voicing her opinions even when he was in a good mood. And when she was in this position with him he could easily harm her.

He planted kisses down her neck, his hands squeezing her breasts. He held them so tight they ached in pain; he must have known but he did not loosen his grip. "Oh yes," he purred, nipping her ear. She let out a mew of pain, she couldn't help it. "I have an even better idea."

He kneeled down on the bed with her in front of him, pushing her legs apart. Knowing what was coming she began to struggle. "No, please."

He paused in the process of sucking her shoulder. "What?" She could already picture his face: perfectly calm like the sky before the thunderstorm.

"Please, don't, I..." She wished she wouldn't get emotional, but she was beginning to break. She had lasted for so long but she had always known that she wouldn't be able to always remain tough before him. "I can't take it."

"Okay," he said. Still not able to see him, she couldn't see his face, though she was surprised by the tone of his voice. He didn't turn angry; he sounded content. "No problem."

He moved away from her. She didn't dare breathe; too terrified to make a noise in case he changed his mind. She was scared; she knew him, and he had something up his sleeve...

He came behind her, wrapping a thick leather belt round her neck. Her hands went to it instantly as he tightened it, momentarily choking her. He pulled her off the bed and onto the floor; she fell on her knees and flinched. When she lifted her head she came face to face with his cock, long and hard.

His voice was rigid now, like immovable marble. "You know what I want."

She glanced up at his face and looked back down even faster. She didn't have the courage to refuse him twice; her punishment may be too great for her to bear. Doing as he said she opened her mouth and placed his dick inside. She wanted to be sick, but as always she forced it down and began to suck.

He continued talking as if she was facing him, though his hand was on the back of her head, playing with her hair. "It doesn't matter that we haven't been able to capture her yet. I have decided to allow her to have some freedom, let her grow close to her friends and family. I will let her bond with Damon strengthen. And then I will take her." He smirked slowly, a cold one that could freeze people in their tracks. "This will be the thing that breaks Damon Salvatore for good."

**xXx**

"I feel like shit," Liam said wearily, sitting up on his elbow. Morning had not been a welcome sight today. All of them had tossed and turned throughout the night, their minds still on the tower. It had shaken them all, particularly Tari and Liam. The alcohol they had drunk had left them all with headaches, and without a good night's sleep none of them were in the best of moods. Even the beautiful Sawyer looked exhausted.

"Tell me about it," she said, lying down on her bed. "My head is aching."

"Oh yeah?" said Allen beside her. "My head feels like a herd of elephants had a dance party."

"At least your arm isn't killing you," Tari shot back. "I've had so many painkillers I think I'm going to be high for the rest of the day."

"Lucky you," Sawyer muttered.

"You also smell like you've downed a hundred mints," Allen added. It was making him feel nauseous.

"That's because I have. None of you lot have fathers that have super scent."

There was quiet for a moment. "So," Liam began with his usual recklessness. "Are we going to talk about what happened last night?"

Sawyer sighed, leaning against the bed head. "What did happen last night?" she asked. "I was kinda hoping it had been a dream."

"Me too," Tari said softly. For her it almost had been. Had it? Her mind felt like it was made of sponge. It didn't help that she was exhausted. When she got home she was going to crawl into bed and go to sleep until tomorrow morning.

"Maybe it's best if we just forget about it," Allen suggested. "I mean, how has it affected us?"

"More than you'd think," said Tari. It had shaken her. That place meant something to her, and not in a good way. Even now she could feel the cool air on her skin and for a moment she couldn't catch her breath.

Allen stood up. "I'm heading to Marty's Pancake Palace for some breakfast." Sawyer and Tari shared a nauseated glance; the thought of breakfast made them feel like sick. Allen turned to the other three. "Fancy a walk?"

"I'll come," Tari said, getting up. "I could use some air. I'll get Damon to pick me up from there. Coming Lee?"

He shook his head. "I'll stay at Sawyer's for a while. My little sister makes so much noise – more when she's _not _playing one of the many instruments she owns – that I don't think my head can take it." Tari didn't miss the subtle glance that he sent Sawyer. She realised that he wanted to talk to her. She tried to imagine the bond that they shared – Lee and Sawyer were obviously close, like a brother and sister. She had a sudden desire to have a brother, someone that went through the same things that she did at the same time and helped her through them; someone that shared the crazy family she had.

Allen and Tari walked into town, taking deep breaths as they went. "This feels better," Tari said after a minute of walking in the cool air. She was exhausted, and really just wanted to sleep, but at the same time she knew the fresh air was good for her.

Allen shook his head. "We shouldn't have drunk," he said as they took the short cut through the park. "What was Sawyer thinking?"

Tari turned her shocked face to her friend. "_What? _If I remember correctly _you_ were the one who agreed with her."

"It was only because your arm was hurting," Allen said back, his tone lightly teasing.

"And because you and Lee were in such bad moods." Her friend's face froze, and a moment later his brown eyes dimmed. Tari felt her face flush, embarrassed at bringing up. Why the hell did she say that? She didn't want Allen to go back into his dark mood again. "Want to talk about it?" she asked him gently.

He didn't look at her and she thought that he wasn't going to answer; she was even worried that he wouldn't talk to her at all. But Allen wasn't like that; unlike the Scotts he couldn't hold a grudge and didn't particularly have a taste for fighting. It was rare for Tari to meet someone like that: although Stefan was quiet and moderating, Elena and Damon fought constantly and of course Tari herself joined in; Sawyer and Liam were famous for their arguments. Tari wondered if it was natural with people that knew each other for a long time; they couldn't hide their true emotions from the other person, so they didn't even try. Maybe they even fought because they knew that the people they fought so fiercely with would never leave them, no matter what.

If that was the case, than Tari felt sorry that Allen didn't have that with someone.

"My dad didn't call," Allen said simply. There was no complexity behind that sentence, only pure pain. She could hear the sadness in his voice, and instantly wanted to comfort him. Even though Damon hadn't visited her often in her later years, they had texted and talked over the phone, it still hurt that he wasn't around. How could he not even call to wish his son a happy birthday?

"Can't you call him?" asked Tari, trying to be delicate.

"That's why I was in such a bad mood," Allen said. His voice grew a little stronger as he continued. "My dad moved recently, and I wanted his number or his address. My mom and I got into a big fight because of it. She refused to give it to me."

"She doesn't want you to get hurt."

"It's not her decision anymore T. I'm fifteen, I'm old enough to make my own decisions. But she's using the legal system, saying she'll let me have it when I'm eighteen." He shook his head. "Three years before I'll be able to see my father."

Tari didn't say anything. How could she tell him that it wasn't Allen's responsibility to keep his relationship with his father going? Damon may not have been around, but he did keep in contact. That said a lot.

**xXx **

"I thought I was picking you up at Sawyer's?" Damon said when she sat in the car.

"I wanted to walk with Allen," Tari answered. She leant back against the car seat, realising that she had come back to falling asleep in Damon's car.

"You want to pick something up? Have a brunch or something?"

The thought churned his stomach. "No thanks."

Damon sent her a strange look; Tari refusing to eat out? That wasn't like her. But maybe she had eaten a large breakfast at Sawyer's. Dismissing it he said, "So can we talk about sleeping in the same bed with boys?"

Tari stifled a groan. "Please Damon, can we not talk about this now?"

"It'll be quick," Damon promised. "We're you in the same bed with Liam and Allen?"

"Yes," she answered. She was beginning to feel like she was in court. In truth they had all slept in Sawyer's big bed; Sawyer was at one end, then Liam, then Tari and then Allen. Her beloved father would not be too pleased if he knew she had slept in-between two boys.

"Don't," he said, his voice firm. "From now on you're not allowed to be in the same bed with a boy, got it? And that includes being on a bed with a boy."

The girl wasn't feeling too good, her stomach swirling. Why the hell did they have Mexican food? She was feeling too ill to argue with Damon, even though there was nothing going on with either Liam or Allen. "Okay."

"Did you just agree with me? Jesus, is that a flying pig I see?"

Tari really wished they could get off food. "Well you wouldn't let me anyway would you?"

"Probably not," agreed Damon. "Still, to give up without a fight? Amazing really-"

"Stop the car."

"Huh?" He turned his head to his daughter, and realised how awfully pale she looked – and how hot.

"_Stop the car now!_"

Instantly Damon pulled over to the other side of the road. Almost as fast as the car itself Tari threw the door open and threw up on the side of the road.

Damon was almost in shock when she leant back in the car. She was sweating as if she was in a sauna, her hair sticking against her forehead. She was breathing heavily. "So," he asked after a moment. "What did you do last night?"

**xXx **

If Tari knew this was going to happen, she would have poured the drinks on the floor.

Tyler entered the girl's room, spotting Damon and Stefan outside the bathroom. "Hey," he said, grinning. "Caroline told me what happened. How is she?"

"Still throwing up," replied Damon. He couldn't hide the smirk on his face, and he didn't want to. It was too funny.

"She hasn't been drunk before, has she?" Tyler leant against the wall.

"Clearly she doesn't have my drinking skills," Damon said when he heard the toilet flush. After a minute Tari appeared out the bathroom, still a little pale, and came face to face with three grinning faces.

"You can all go to hell," she said without hesitation. It didn't help; in fact their grins increased, even Stefan's. She moved to the bed, pushing the cushions over her head, but even that couldn't block them out. If she had known that they would all find her struggle with alcohol so highly amusing she would never have drunk it in the first place. She almost wished Damon _had _been angry.

"What?" said Damon in mock bemusement. "Are you feeling a little under the weather?"

"Jeez kid," Tyler said, sitting down on the bed next to her. "You really can't hold you alcohol can you?"

"Like you could when you were my age." Tari's head was still under the pillow when she spoke.

"I wasn't bad," said Tyler, putting his hands behind his head. "I'd had a few drinks before I was fourteen. My first was my thirteenth birthday – one of my friends snuck me a bottle of whisky." He pulled a face. "I must admit I had a rough few days after that."

"Jesus," Tari said, lifting her head up. "You rich kids don't do things by halves do you?"

"We were founders," Elena said, entering the room followed closely by Caroline. "In this town it's like being royalty."

"And technically you are a rich kid now," Damon added. "And a founder."

"Then why don't I have a television in my room to escape the insanity?"

"Do you remember when we first got drunk Elena?" asked Caroline. She was now on the bed with Tyler, his arm hooked round her waist.

The brunette broke into a wide grin, one that puffed up her cheeks and narrowed her eyes like a chipmunk. "Oh God, _yes_. It was me, Matt, Bonnie, Caroline and Tyler – we were all hanging out at The Grill and Tyler had managed to get us some – what did we drink?"

"I don't know, some cocktail or something. It was definitely cherry," Caroline said, which earned a groan from Tari. The adults chuckled.

"We were drunk – considering none of us had drunk alcohol before-"

"Speak for yourself," interjected Tyler.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Whatever Ty; anyway, we were pretty drunk and who should come in and sit in the next booth? My _parents_."

Tari winced. "Okay, that's bad."

"My ex-boyfriend Matt got me to pretend I was choking so he could escape-"

"But Elena's dad was a doctor-" Caroline interrupted.

"So of course he rushes up to save her-" Tyler added.

"And I try to run away and slip, falling flat on my ass." She shook her head. "God we were so stupid back then. My parents grounded me for at least a month. And those drinks didn't even taste very good. It tasted really sweet and sour-"

Before she could finish Tari got up and walked to the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

"Yep," Damon said, collapsing on the bed beside Tyler. "She really doesn't have my tolerance."

"She's not having any alcohol at my wedding," Caroline said. She pulled herself off the bed, and everyone in the room saw her switch back to Wedding Mode. "I need to call the travel agent back, she's meant to be sorting out flights for us and the invitations-" She broke off, gasping. "Oh no!"

"Car, breathe," Tyler said, grabbing her waist and attempting to pull her back on the bed. But it was too late; they hadn't caught her in time.

"I picked a champagne background for the invitations! What was I thinking? Beige is a much better colour!" She had disappeared in a second, and they could hear her doing something frantic downstairs.

"Oh damn," Tyler moaned. He stood up, rushing after her. "See what I have to deal with all day every day?"

"You should have eloped," called Damon.

"Why didn't you suggest that sooner?" Tyler called from the hall.

Stefan slipped his hand into Elena's. "We should help him."

"Do we have to?" Elena asked, pulling a face. Stefan sent her a look and she sighed. "Okay fine." As they left the bedroom Damon heard her ask, "Why did I have to marry a saint?"

The toilet flushed again and Tari reappeared. "I feel like shit." She buried herself back on the bed, as if trying to dig herself a sanctuary.

Damon pulled her closer to him. "I know sweetie," he said, rubbing her back.

"So," Tari said, her face in his shoulder. "How long am I grounded for? Do you want me to give up my phone?"

He smiled slightly. "I'm not grounding you."

Tari was too weak to act more shocked, but lifted her head up to make sure that this was her father. "You're _not_?"

"No." As Tari glanced round the room, he asked, "Are you having dizzy spells?"

"I think I just saw the flying pig." She laid back down on the bed. "Why not?"

"I've never overly lectured you about alcohol because – and while I'm not overly happy with you drinking when I wasn't around – the best way to get your child not to drink alcohol is to have them drink too much off." He rested his eyes on her, her face even paler than usual. "You're not going to drink alcohol again, are you?"

Just the thought of it made her stomach lurch. Eyes closed she said, "Never again."

Damon laughed. "I wouldn't go that far but my point's proven." He wrapped her up in the covers, kissing her forehead. "Do you want anything?"

Tari shook her head. "Just sleep."

He left her alone for half hour before returning to the bedroom. By that point Tari was dead to the world. He watched his daughter sleep. If he was absolutely honest it was one of his favourite things to do, his guilty pleasure. But instead of binging on chocolate or settling down for another session of _The O.C., _his was relatively healthy.

_Yeah right. Twenty years ago you would have scoffed at a parent acting this way. You would have called them obsessive. _

But being a parent, it changed you. He would even say it was more powerful than the romantic love, because _this _love could not be twisted and it couldn't turn into hate. He truly believed that no one parent could completely hate their child. He could never in a million years hate Tari, even though she made him so angry sometimes he wanted to break everything in the house. She was his little girl. He loved her with every fibre of his body.

That was why he would protect her, by any means necessary.

**xXx **

"Tari?" The girl glanced up from her desk in the maths lesson. Her teacher handed her a pink slip. "You need to go to the office."

Tari glanced down at the slip in her hand. _Shit_. What had she done? She hadn't done anything wrong, had she? Gathering up her books she walked down the hall, fear snaking up her back every step. Had something happened to one of her family? She was a little surprised at how terrified she was of the thought of losing Damon. But it was understandable – she had lost one parent, she couldn't lose another, not her father.

It hadn't been a good weekend, not after Allen's birthday. Though she hadn't been grounded and slept like a baby, she'd had the Nightmare again. This time everything seemed more vivid, more real. She instantly recognised the tower now, the silver marble glinting off the moonlight. But the man had seemed more veiled than ever, and now Tari couldn't even recall his face properly – which was odd, because she had been able to before.

She hadn't told Damon about the tower. One reason was that he would _definitely _ground her after realising she had been walking at night alone. The way he acted it was like there were perverts and vampires lurking behind every rock and tree. Besides which, even if she did tell Damon – then what? What could he do? Okay, she had been in some mystical disappearing tower (and who was to say that you couldn't find the tower during the day? Maybe they just hadn't looked properly, these people who had visited once and hadn't been able to find it. Stories got out of hand all the time, and that's what it was – a story) – so what? Damon couldn't change any of it. How would he be able to tell her the significance of it?

_God I need therapy. _

"Nefertari Salvatore?" A woman with long light brown hair approached her. She was about the same age as her mother. She stuck her hand out. "I'm Mrs Smith."

Tari shook her hand. "Hi," she said, her voice unable to mask her confusion. "I'm sorry – who are you?"

"I am from admissions of Yale University."

_Yale University? _"Are you sure you have the right person?" There couldn't be many people with the same name as her, but let's face it, why the hell was Yale University looking for her? She was nowhere near ready to start thinking about colleges yet, let alone applying to them. She was only fourteen.

"We're absolutely sure," the woman said, still smiling. She glanced out the window to a bench that looked over the school field. "May we have a seat outside?"

Tari agreed, though why the woman wanted to go outside to talk was beyond her – the weather wasn't exactly warm. She followed the woman nonetheless. "I don't understand," she said. "I'm fourteen, and I know for a fact I haven't done anything-" She broke off when she felt the woman grip her arm tightly, pulling her further across the field and away from the bench. "Where are we going?"

The woman looked at her then. Her face was sober, her brown eyes serious and almost sad. "I'm not from Yale University."

_Oh shit._

**xXx**

***I'm referring to what Emily Bennett said to Stefan earlier in the series. I think this is what she said to the best of my memory, but it was words to that affect. If not then just pretend that was what she said for the sake of the story**

**EEEEEEEEEEEE! I love the ending even if I do say so myself! **

**PLEASE REVIEW! **

**REVIEW = LOVE + LONGER AND FASTER CHAPTERS!**


	20. The Red Leather Box

**HEY! **

**So here is the next chapter. It took me a while to write and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I hope you like it. **

**DISCLAIMER: I ****do not**** own Vampires Diaries or One Tree Hill or any of the characters; exceptions are Tari, Allen, Liam, Rebecca, Regina and Axel (and the concept of demons)**

**Chapter Eighteen **

**The Red Leather Box**

_Oh God. This is it. This is how I'm going to die. I'm going to die...on the school field. Of all the places to die, it _would_ be at school. Joy. As if I didn't spend enough time here already. _

Tari almost felt queasy as the woman continued to drag her across the field. Her heart was hammering and she felt as if her legs were going to give out. Who was this woman? And why did she want her? It wasn't as if Tari was special, was it?

_Half-human, half-vampire... _

But that didn't _mean _anything. So what if she was born from a vampire – weren't vampires technically humans, ones that didn't age and had a strange desire for blood... She couldn't even convince herself anymore. She _was _different, had known it all her life. That's why Damon always kept such a tight grip on her; he knew it too.

She didn't even realise that they had made it half way across the field. Without thinking she broke free of the grip the woman had on her arm. She hadn't expected the woman to relinquish her grasp on her arm so easily and fell to the floor. Pain sprung down her spine like dancing deer, and Tari couldn't help but wince slightly because of it. She should have leapt up the second she broke free, but had left it too late. Now the woman was standing over her, and she was downright intimidating. She looked as if she was going to face Tari down, like they were two warriors about to do battle.

"Listen to me child," the woman said without a hint of sensitivity. "I am not going to harm you. I simply needed to get you on your own. I have observed you, and I could not see any other way to get you on your own then take you out of your lessons."

"Why?" spat Tari. If she was going to be taken or killed, she wasn't going to go down without a fight. "Couldn't you just talk to me with people around?"

"We can sit in a restaurant if it will put you at ease. I do not want anyone of significance to see us together, however, so if you insist then we will have to travel a little further. I take it that you do not want to be in a car with me."

No she didn't. She didn't even want to be in a field with her, but at least she could scream or have a chance of running away. In a car she wouldn't have either of those options.

"Why do you want to talk to me?" Tari said. She was cold and a little muddy, but she didn't dare stand. Not yet. Conserve her strength, get ready so she could spring up, giving her a head start.

"There is a grave matter that I need to talk to you about. Believe it or not I am doing this for your benefit, not my own." The woman had a sudden look of self-righteousness which Tari hated. She was pleased with herself? Good for her. But Tari had every right to be nervous. This woman didn't have a clue what she had been through to make her this edgy.

"How do I know this isn't some trick to get me to go with you?"

The woman looked her straight in the eye. "I would not harm you, Nefertari Salvatore, because I knew your mother."

The young girl gave the woman her complete attention. Her eyes searched the woman, seemingly trying to tell if she was speaking the truth. In reality she was trying to recognise her. Tari could not remember ever seeing this woman before, though she did look a little familiar. But Tari could not for the life of her place her in any scene of her life or her mother's.

"You're lying," she declared.

This was the first time that Tari saw the flash of anger on her face; instantly Tari tensed, crouching forward so when she got up she would be on her feet and not lose her balance. The woman bent down a little closer to her so Tari couldn't help but look at her face. "Her favourite clothing shop in New York was Strawberry, not because of the clothes but because you liked shopping there; she adored horses because she went to her friend Brian's farm when she was a teenager and learnt how to ride; she got tears in her eyes when she heard the song _My heart will go on _by Celine Dion; she barely ever cooked at home despite the fact that she was a chef and made brilliant food; she couldn't speak another language to save herself; and her world changed forever when she realised that Damon Salvatore was a vampire. In some ways I knew your mother even better than you did child. I have come to you today because I would be doing her a great disservice if I did not."

Tari was frozen on the ground, realising that this woman knew personal things about her mother – things that, Tari was ashamed to say, she had forgotten over time. Either this woman had been her mother's friend or she had an incredible ability on spying on them – and must have done so for years.

She straightened up, looking down at Tari. "Are you satisfied now?"

Slowly Tari stood. The woman did not move closer to her in an attempt to force her down, but stayed stock still, watching her. It was then Tari noticed that the woman held herself regally, back straight and head up. She gave the impression of confidence, and Tari knew she must have some, since she had told her a lie about being from Yale University convincingly enough.

"You knew my mother," Tari stated. She said it because she wanted her to know that she believed her. The woman did not give any indication that she had heard her; she simply kept her eyes on the girl. "Is your last name really Smith?"

The woman smiled at her then, giving a little chuckle. "I will give you a little advice: never trust anyone who says they are named Smith. It is almost always a cover. Though I have been given many names, my real name is Regina Fairchild. I will explain myself in good time, but first I need to know whether you are prepared to listen."

Every once and a while a person stands at a crossroads. The decision they make will change their lives. Sometimes there is no "right" choice; the roads will simply take you different places, change your future. One road may be the safer route, the one that the person who is cautious takes, so not to get themselves hurt; the other road may be more dangerous, a road that only serious risk-takers will take. Tari was facing such a decision then. To go with this Regina woman could possibly a huge mistake – recently Tari had learnt what could happen if she took the risky route. Caleb was a prime example. Yet she couldn't help but remember that defeating the vampire had been one of her greatest triumphs, something she had been able to point to and say, "I was brave." She even admired the bite mark, a battle scar. Once again she was facing a crossroads, the riskier choice standing in front of her. She had to ask herself whether the end justified the means.

Later, she would point to this moment and say that this was when her life changed. Perhaps it had not particularly shown, but every future decision she had was influenced after she had talked to Regina.

"Yes," Tari said, looking Regina in the eye. "I am."

**xXx **

_I wait three days. Remarkable really that I managed to wait that long. I was going to give her a week, but when I woke up this morning I couldn't bear the thought of another four days without at least knowing. I have paced up and down in this motel, drunk whatever I could lay my hands on (which is a lot) and practically gnawed my own leg off in worry. I didn't dare go back to Mystic Falls. Stefan and Elena would take one look at my face and ask me a billion questions and I'm not ready for that yet. I can't be ready until I know what's going on. I need to know what Rebecca is thinking; I need to at least explain to her. She needs to know all the dangers. _

_When she opens the door I can tell she feels like shit, just like me. She looks pale with big circles underneath her eyes. Worried that she is about to slam the door in my face I say, "We need to talk." _

_Once again she doesn't show any fear. She widens the door and I step forward. Turning round I focus on her. She crosses her arms. "What do you have to say?" _

_I can't help the slight grin that forms on my face. "What, am I a twelve year old?" _

_She sends me a serious look. "Damon, please."_

_I sigh. "Take a seat." _

"_I'd rather stand." _

"_It's a long story." _

_She faces me, though the table was a nice enough buffer for her. She sits back, hands folded in her lap. "Go on." _

_As usual I start at the beginning. "I was turned a vampire in 1864. I was twenty three years old." I am met with stunned silence; of all the things she expected, it wasn't this. I can tell by her face that she hadn't thought that I was from that long ago. "You remember when I told you about Katherine? She was a vampire, and she was the one that turned me and Stefan. _

"_Like I said, I was crazy in love with her. So it sent me off the deep end. I compelled and killed many people during those years between 1864 and 2009."_

"_Compelled?" _

_Of course, she doesn't know. "One of the many gifts of vampires is that they can compel a person. Basically it means that I can tell a person to do something and they have to do it. No questions asked; they _can't _refuse." _

_She is aghast. "Have you compelled me?" _

"_No. The first time we met I...well, I tried." _

"_But?" _

"_I couldn't compel you. I don't know why – I assume that you must have had vervain on you. It is the most important thing that you can possibly do. Vervain is an herb, and ever since I met you I've been putting vervain in that tea-"_

"_You mean that disgusting tea you've been making me drink?" _

"_Yeah – and that bracelet I gave you, and that ring that you wear all the time? They have vervain in them. They'll protect from compulsion. It's always wise for you to drink that tea, because then if a vampire drinks your blood then it will weaken the vampire."_

_She puts her hands on her head, looking down at the table. "Hold on a second," she murmurs. _

_It's too much for her. I reach out, a little nervous I'll admit, but I touch her wrist. She glances at me, her eyes filled with confusion. "It's okay. I know it's a lot to take it." _

_She pulls away; I try not to show how much it hurts when I straighten too. "Continue," she says. I can see she is trying to remain tough. And she will be. This is Rebecca we're talking about; years of protecting herself is being put into use right now. And this kills me all over again because Rebecca shouldn't _have _to protect herself. I would happily be the one to fight for her, to be her shield against the world. I want to tell her all this, but at the same time I am not going to pressure her. _

"_Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I've changed. I don't kill, not anymore. I drink blood bags, and Stefan drinks animal blood. It's been years since I've done anything to harm another human." I clear my throat. "That's basically it. There have been a lot of ups and downs with other vampires, but that's it with my life personally. But I need to tell you some other things too." _

_I explain about witches and werewolves and briefly Originals; I go over the characteristics of each one, informing her that she can't invite anyone that she doesn't know in the house – the important one. I can see her face tighten, and I know she remembers me acting weird when we first came to her place; having to invite me in. Her face pales every now and then and she shifts round uncomfortably, but her eyes focus on me and listen intently. By the time I'm finished my throat is sore and I feel as if it's been a year since I begun. _

"_Is that it?" she says finally, leaning back in the seat. _

"_Yes," I say. "At least, I think it is." _

_She stares down at the table. "How did it happen?" she asks quietly. "How the hell did I not notice that there's this...whole other world existing with ours? How come other people don't see it?" _

"_I'd estimate about thirty percentage of the population knows about all this; the rest don't see it because they don't believe it. _You _didn't until I proved it. Even if they do say something...unnatural, they ignore it. People see what they want to see." _

_We are silent for a little while. I desperately want to take her into my arms and hold her, let her cry on my shoulder. But I daren't touch her. Ever since I arrive she has put the wall up, a barrier that I am almost afraid to break through. But if I don't dare, then I will never be able to touch her again. Rebecca has made the sun rise in an everlasting night; I can't let her walk away without a fight. I did it once; there's a chance I can do it again. _

"_Where does this leave us?" I ask, very quietly. _

_She stands suddenly, going to the sink. "There is no us. Not anymore." _

_I don't feel the disappointment; instead I feel rage. I stand too, slowly. "I must have skipped the part where we actually broke up." _

_She turns to me. "Damon, you lied to me." _

"_I just said that people see what they want to see. You wouldn't have believed me and besides, even if you _did _believe me, I wasn't going to risk scaring you off. For all I know it could have been a fling and ended in less than a month."_

"_But it's been longer than that Damon. It's been over a year." _

"_So what?" _

"_Were you going to let me marry you before you told me?" _

"_Of course not!" I don't want to mention that I did actually think about marrying her. Not right now. "You're being ridiculous." _

"_Forgive me for being a little sentimental; I've just found out my boyfriend is a vampire, don't you think you could cut me some slack." _

_I'm about to snap something back when I remember: I love this girl. I take a long breath, forcing myself to keep calm. "Rebecca, please." _

"_Please what? What do you want?" _

"_I want to be with you!" I step forwards and I know I am plunging off the deep end here, but I don't care. "In all my life, no one has ever loved me the way you have. I have never had someone that would willingly accept my love, or someone that would return it. You're the first person to do that." She looks uncomfortable, pushing herself further against the cabinets. "I love you Rebecca, and I know you love me too. Love conquers all." _

_She lifts her eyes to me, and for one sweet moment I believe that she will kiss me and all will be forgiven. But then she speaks. "You're a killer Damon. How could I love you?" _

_A knife through my heart; a gun to my head; a thousand burning stakes into my body. It falls like an avalanche on me. I feel as if I am going to die. _

_My heart is now dead. If it had been alive before, it isn't now. _

_I can't show this though. I stare at her for a long time. She doesn't love me. She doesn't love me. If I ever had her love, it has gone now, just like I thought it would. All the work that she has done, all the work that Elena has done, all the healing of the pain...it's all come undone right now. But that's me, right down to the T: I've always given too much heart. How have I not learn to protect it? How is it that I've made the same mistake not twice, but three times? _

"_Okay." My voice is hoarse and I back away. I cannot win her back now. I am a cold blooded killer; I don't deserve love. This is my payback for all the people I've hurt. For a millisecond I feel jealously and rage at the unfairness: Stefan has done the same things that I have, if not worse, and yet he still manages to get Elena and live the perfect life. But that's the way it goes for me. _

_I will never be loved. _

_I leave her apartment. I don't look back._

**xXx**

Of all the places Tari thought they would talk, this didn't even have a place on the list.

Regina on the other hand seemed at ease, comforted in the church. By the sound of it she had lived many years, taking on multiple names and lives – obviously the church had been a part of it. She must be a vampire, though she's different, somehow unlike Damon and Stefan and Elena and Caroline.

Before they entered Regina faced Tari, looking so stern that for an instant Tari was reminded of her mother. "I know that you are young child, and I understand that the church does not hold the same meaning to you as it does to me. However, I insist that you be respectful in this place. By this I mean that, no matter how upset you are, you must not use any foul language. I understand that these days people use curse words often – especially adolescents such as yourself. However, religion means a great deal to me and I would prefer it if you acted mature."

Tari nodded once. The woman made her feel incredibly young, even younger than Damon did. "This church is of the Catholic faith," Regina pointed out as they stood on the steps outside it. "I hope that doesn't offend you?"

"No," Tari said. She was – besides being part vampire – part Italian, and so if she was going to be of any faith it would be Catholic.

They walked down the wooden floor, selecting one of the pews at random. Tari sat beside her. She had to admit, she felt a little uncomfortable in here. She wasn't used to being in a place of worship, especially since Regina had been so stern about it. Though it was peaceful as most churches were, and it gave Tari the space to think. She had a feeling Regina was going to upload a lot of information on her, and at least she could have a meltdown without anyone seeing her.

Regina started the conversation. "I am sure that you are curious to know who I am." Tari nodded. In fact she was very eager to know who this woman was. How did she know her mother? How old was she? She was a vampire, wasn't she? "As I said before, my name is Regina Fairchild. As I am sure you are aware of the supernatural world, you must know that I am not human. Well, you are correct: I am not human. I am a demon."

_What? _Tari was about to say just that, but she remembered that Regina expected her to behave. Though she hadn't told her not to be rude, it was implied. "I don't understand; I don't know what a demon is."

"I didn't expect you to child." Regina smiled sympathetically. "Demons are not widely known even by supernatural beings, though some have said we are the most powerful as the supernatural world. It's hard to explain, but I will do my best: basically we are like humans, except we are the same person. We die, but we are reborn instantly. We live normal lives from being a baby to – if we manage to live that long – being old, but we remember. We remember each and every life we have had. You cannot imagine how annoying it is when you are a baby and can't talk or walk, yet you know Martin Luther's theory of religion or Charles Dickens' _A Christmas Carol _off by heart." She sighed, clearly aggravated by the fact.

"So how old are you?" asked Tari.

"As old as the earth," she said as if it was no big deal – as if she was announcing the weather forecast. When she smiled at Tari it was one of pure weariness. "You won't believe how easy it is to predict these people. Even a hundred or two years apart, people still behave the exact same way."

It was still hard for her to believe. "You have been around since the beginning of time? Doesn't that make you the oldest thing in the world?"

"It is not just me; there are more demons in the world. There is a set amount of demons; there cannot be any more than there are now – since we are reborn every time, then obviously the population would increase to the point of self-extinction. We cannot have children."

Her eyes were a little sad when she said this; Tari was unsure what to say. "I'm sorry," she said awkwardly.

She lifted her shoulders. "There are worse things in the world. I count myself lucky to have found my life partner; many demons have not found theirs yet."

"Life partner?"

"Our mate," Regina explained. "Some naive humans believe that they have a soulmate. In a demon's case it is true. We have a demon that is our perfect match, the one that will we be utmost happy with. I am with mine; his name is Axel." For a moment her eyes brightened and Tari was utterly jealous of her in that minute; when was the last time she had seen someone so obviously swallowed up by love. "We met during the Norman invasion of England. He was a doctor – demons by nature are intelligent. We have lived so many lives and retained the knowledge, so we are the greatest minds in the world. The man the world knows as Isaac Newton was one; so was Alexander Fleming. To get to the point, I saw him trying to heal a soldier. Our eyes met and-" she clicked her fingers, "-we knew. Another ability demons possess is the ability to tell when we see another supernatural being. It was more than that with Axel; we knew that we were meant to be together. The rest," she said with a chuckle, "is history."

Tari leant back in the pew. "Wow. That's a lot of information to handle."

"I know," said Regina, a soothing tone in her voice. "It is a lot to digest."

"I'm pleased that you're telling me all of this, but I don't understand what it has to do with me." Tari had to admit, she was fascinated. It was interesting to learn about demons. It seemed that they didn't use any strength to fight their battles, unlike vampires or werewolves; they used their brains. Tari wished she was able to learn that amount of information; Regina must have the answer to almost everything.

Regina's expression turned serious, and she focussed on Tari. "Even though Rebecca is dead, I am still her friend. I will protect you, child, in the only way I can."

Tari sat up straight, trying to remain calm. "Am I in danger?"

"Yes," Regina said bluntly. "Or you will be. But I'm afraid I can't tell you how or why."

"Why not?"

Regina gave a little sigh. "I know how frustrating this must be for you. Believe me, I wish I could tell you. Axel would be displeased with me though, even so than this was. You see, my life partner is a seer – and by that I mean he can see the future. It is not a common gift with demons, but it is one Axel possesses. He has seen yours...and it is enough to worry us. When he finds out what I'm doing, he won't be happy. However, I cannot stand by. I am not sure how much I will be able to help you, but I will try."

_He has seen yours...and it is enough to worry us. _Tari huddled in her jacket, feeling colder. The future was a scary enough place for her already; now she was finding out that other people were coming to...help her? It seemed so, but she didn't know how if Tari couldn't know about her future. "Why can't you tell me what you're worried about?"

"I can't." This time she could see how regretful Regina was. "Knowing your future...it is dangerous. Believe me when I say that it will do you no good to know this."

There was something in his face – her pinched expression – that made Tari ask, "Do you really believe that?"

"I have seen examples of it. And even I did not...I would have to ask your father, and I would rather leave him out of it. I respect parental authority too much to tell you your future without his consent."

"You want me to lie to my father?" This rose Tari's hackles. She had known that she wasn't known for her honesty towards her father, but someone else asking her to lie to him – well, that was different.

Regina kept her face carefully indifferent. "For the time being. I am sorry if you are uncomfortable about it. I do not insist on it; in fact, if you find it you can almost certainly show him. But for now, how about we just keep it between the two of us?"

"Keep what between us?"

"Oh dear," said Regina with a sigh. "I'm not explaining it very well. What I wanted to ask you all long is if you could look through your mother's things and let me know if you find a red leather box. It would be thin, bigger than if you had jewellery in it and long. It would have three numbers on it – you need to get the right combination to open it."

"Let me guess: you're not going to give it to me?"

"No. It's too risky; I need to know if you have it first."

"You expect me to just give it to you?" Tari moved back slightly. "You seem nice and all, but..." She exhaled, the name _Caleb _vibrating through her mind. He hadn't just scarred her physically. "I've been fooled before."

She smiled gently. "I understand child. In fact I commend you on it; it's wise not to show all your cards until you're certain you're going to win. If you find this box," she said, pulling a card out and handing it to Tari, "give me a call. You can even bring your father with you, but please, it would be much easier for the both of us if he wasn't involved until then. After all, he would only get upset and stressed over a stranger taking you from school. Which, I must point out, you better be getting back to."

Tari didn't own a watch (something that drove Damon crazy) so she had to glance at her phone. She had a text from all three of her friends asking her where she was. She had missed a lesson and lunch. _Shit_, she thought, and then instantly felt guilty for thinking that – after all, surely God would be able to read minds. She stood up quickly; they would probably be freaking out, thinking she had been kidnapped by a vampire.

She almost forgot about Regina in her hurry; she quickly whirled round. "Why should I do this? Why should I give you the box?"

Regina face was like stone when she spoke. "Because, child, it may save your life."

**xXx **

"Who was this woman?" Sawyer asked. They were walking home, hoods up because of the drizzling rain. Tari hadn't been able to talk to them at lunch and had no lessons with the others that afternoon. She had texted them to tell them to wait for her, but not why – after all, it wasn't something Tari felt she could tell them via text. It was difficult to even explain it to them now – her head was spinning with all the information. It was almost pointless going back to school; she didn't hear a single word her teachers said.

The others were walking slowly, agonisingly slow for her. "Regina Fairchild. That's what she said her name was."

"Do you know anything about her?" Liam asked, keeping up with her.

"Only that she's a demon and she has a husband – or life partner as she calls him. His name is Axel."

"Strange names," said Liam.

"Old names," murmured Allen.

"I can go on the internet," Liam offered. "See if I can find some information on them."

"That won't work," Sawyer said. She grabbed Tari's arm, pulling her back. The brunette ignored the slight pain as she was forced to turn to her. "Tari, just _wait_. We need to think about this."

"I need to go home and see if I can find this box," Tari said, trying to make Sawyer let go. But she found that Liam had moved behind her, boxing her in. He smirked and Tari glowered at him.

Allen gripped her hand tightly. "Just listen," he pleaded. "We're here to help you."

He was right; Sawyer, Liam and Allen always helped her. She finally relaxed. "I need to be back at the house by four."

Allen checked his watch. "Fifteen minutes," he said aloud.

"Going on the internet won't work," Sawyer continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "From what Tari said they're smart; they'll know how to get rid of their names if they need to. Did she mention any other abilities that she had besides genius?"

Tari thought for a moment. "She can see other supernatural beings just by looking at them. That's it I think."

"Now for the more important question," said Liam. "Do we trust her?"

The trio turned to Tari – after all, she was the only one that had talked to her. "I don't know," she said uncertainly. "She knew my mother – important things about my mother. But... That doesn't mean that she didn't kill her. After all most killers are intimate with the victim."

"But do you think she did it?" Allen pressed. "Gun to your head."

Tari bit her lip. "My gut instinct...no. But-"

"It's best not to trust anyone," agreed Liam. "So what do we do?" He looked at all three of them when he said that.

"We have to find this box," snapped Tari. Surely the answer was obvious?

"Don't give it to her," Liam said instantly.

"She's knows the combination."

"All the more reason not to. What if it's a weapon?"

"She said that I could bring Damon if I wanted to, but only when I find the box. It doesn't sound as if she's going to hurt me."

"We don't know what demons are," Sawyer pointed out. "She might not have told you everything about herself." Her friend paused for a moment, her brilliant mind going at warp speed. Tari imagined her friend lived for these types of situations; Sawyer could easily be the smartest kid in the school if she applied herself. These circumstances exercised her mind. "What if Damon's the target? What if you're meant to lure him there so she can...?"

There was silence.

"This is a moot point," Tari complained. "Until I find the box there's no reason to even think about it."

"Yes there _is_," Sawyer insisted, grabbing Tari's hand back as she attempted to turn away. "Tari, listen: we don't know whether she's a friend or not. Until we do don't go anywhere alone. Stay inside the house, if you want to go somewhere we'll go with you."

"Great," Tari muttered. "I'm a prisoner again."

"We're not imprisoning you," Allen said. "We're just trying to keep you safe. You don't have to do this, but it's probably for the best."

She shook her head, getting bored with this conversation. "Alright, fine. I'll be careful. Now I really need to go, or Damon will lecture me and waste time."

She had almost had to run to get back on time. She closed the door, slamming it loud enough to announce her arrival. But for perhaps the first time, it didn't seem to bring Damon or anyone else to the door. She found out why the second she stepped into the foyer.

They were in a heated argument: it seemed as if Tyler and Damon were on one side, Stefan and Elena on the other. Caroline didn't appear to be on anyone's side; she was too busy talking to someone on the phone, walking to the kitchen and back again. Of course Tari's eyes were drawn to the football table right in the middle of the room.

"Cool!" Tari said, going towards it. Damon sent a triumphant look to Stefan and Elena. "When did you guys decide to be cool?"

"Don't hold your breath," said Tyler, tilting his head to look at Tari. "Stefan and Elena want to send it back."

"It doesn't belong to us," Stefan argued.

"We don't know that," Tyler countered. "It's probably a wedding gift."

"With no return address? No card?" Elena shook her head. "It isn't meant to be sent here; it's a mistake."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Do you to have to be such buzz kills? We don't know whether it's a mistake or not, and until we do I suggest with have fun. Caroline will find out who sent it."

As if on cue they heard Caroline cry out, "No Aunt Mable, a football _table_. _Table_. Yes they exist – oh why am I even bothering? No, sorry, something in my throat."

"But what if it's not a wedding gift?" Stefan continued. "Then someone has ordered and paid for it, and we're using it. That's wrong." He indicated Tari. "We have an impressionable child here; we have to set a good example."

Tari snorted, leaning down to play with the little men. "It's a little too late for that Uncle Stefan. If you had been thinking about me I wouldn't have caught you and Elena in the shower-"

"I get your point," Stefan hastily interrupted as Damon and Tyler exchanged chuckles.

"We don't have to keep it," wheedled Damon. "At least not until Caroline finds out if someone sent it for you or not. Until then..." He lifted the small ball which had somehow managed to be in his hand. "We might as well have a game or two."

Stefan muttered under his breath as Tyler and Damon took up positions. Tari watched them for a few minutes, allowing Damon to become immersed in the game before she snuck upstairs. Though she had been distracted by the football table (perhaps they really could keep it!) she hadn't forgotten what had hurried home to do. She needed to find this red leather box, and then try to figure out the code. She wasn't going to bring the box to Regina until she at least had a go at getting inside it.

She pulled the ladder of the attic down before climbing upstairs, albeit a little cautiously. She wasn't exactly at fan of heights, not when she was on something that wasn't secure. Gently she moved on the floor of the attic, a little scared that she would fall through like in her Uncle Brian's attic. But the floor of the boarding house was sturdy and with relief she walked towards the boxes.

She began to lift items out of them, trying not to get caught up in the memories; an ugly black and pink vase that her mother had said was valuable though God knows why; a pair of silver candlesticks; plates, cutlery and kitchen items; a photo album. Tari held it in her hands, resisting the urge to open it. Right now she could see in the future too; if she opened the photo album she would pour over the photos, remembering every little detail about her expression, reliving old memories, peering at pictures of the two of them when there should have been three.

_Why is there always only two? _

She pushed it aside; she had more important things to do. But as she went through more boxes she began to lose hope, began to go faster. By the time she had emptied the last box she was near despair. The red leather box...it was important. She could see that in Regina's eyes. Whether Regina was in their side or not, she was worried. That couldn't be a good thing.

_What is going _on? Tari felt near tears. There was something simmering right under her nose, something that was a danger to her. The tower...the dream...that _man _in the dream, the one that she thought she had seen during the storm – but that had just been her imagination. And now there was Regina asking about this box. What was inside it?

Did it really depend on her life?

She took a deep breath, calming the tempest in her head. She didn't want Damon to see her crying, he would only ask why. At this point it wasn't that she didn't want to tell him – it was that she didn't even know _how _to tell him. Everything was so connected and unconnected, and even the things that were connected didn't indicate how they were. Her head already ached.

To make herself relax she put the items back in the boxes, storing them into almost the exact same position. Making herself focus on the task was good; it allowed her to check the boxes again, to make sure she hadn't missed anything. She knew she hadn't; she was so focussed on finding the box she would have felt an electrocution in her body when she saw anything that was red.

With a sigh she went downstairs, pushing the ladder back up. She froze, listening. She could hear them downstairs, making more noise than they intended. She heard Damon's laughter and cries of success, along with Tyler's cursing. She couldn't help a little smile; they hadn't even noticed her disappearance.

Or so she thought.

Tari was trying to read a book when Damon came in her bedroom. "Bedtime," he said, placing a glass of water on the bedside table.

She rolled her eyes but nonetheless pulled the covers over her body. He didn't kiss her forehead, but instead sat beside her on the edge of the bed. It meant he wanted to talk. This was often the case nowadays.

"Why were in the attic?" he asked her.

Tari suppressed a surprised look. After all, why should she be? This was Damon Salvatore.

"I was looking for something," she answered. That was the truth.

"Something of your mother's?"

_Why not? _"A red leather box. Small, rectangular like a jewellery box."

She watched his face but she didn't see any recognition. He thought for a moment, shaking his head. "I don't remember it. What's inside it?"

"I don't know," replied Tari, helpless and honest. "That's what I wanted to find out."

Damon lifted a shoulder, blissfully unconcerned. "I'm sure it's somewhere. Don't worry about it." He reached forward and kissed her on the head, smoothing the back of her hair as he did so. "You worry too much."

At that Tari had to laugh. It was the first laugh she'd had during this long day, and it felt good. "_I _worry too much? Hypocritical much?"

He smirked, standing up. "I'm a parent. It's in the job description."

"As well as being annoying?"

He mussed up her hair, something that would have annoyed her if she wasn't going to bed. "Goodnight kid."

Hours later Tari lay in bed, hopelessly awake – and not because of the Nightmare this time.

_It may save your life. _

**xXx **

Across town another two people were awake, but not from insomnia or stress. Axel felt her move a hand across his jaw line. No matter what body she was in, that was something Regina liked to do after they'd had sex: stroke every single part of his body, as if trying to memorise him. She knew him better than anyone else.

"I am still mad at you," he murmured.

She laughed throatily, a gurgling sound that he found hopelessly sexy. "Of course."

"On some occasions I feel as if I am talking to myself. I do not want you to get over-involved. I told you that, and yet you insist on going to see her."

"I had to Axel." She pushed her hand through his dark hair, pushing it from his face. "You know me. I could not just let it happen." She paused then, knowing the weight of her words but wanting to ask anyway. "Has the future changed?"

Her lover sighed. "I have not had a vision. I do not know."

"Fuck it," Regina hissed. In her voice it sounded almost beautiful. She turned on her side away from Axel, almost as if it was his fault. He sighed; he knew that she didn't blame him. She was angry at the situation. He wrapped an arm round her waist, comforting her, which made her love him even more if that was possible. She could never imagine being with anyone else – she didn't want to be with anyone else. It was so hard when they were apart. When they were children it was necessary – they didn't even know where each other were. They always met when they were twenty one at a place that they had arranged – this time it had been Paris, right under the Eiffel Tower. They always knew each other, instantly. It was amazingly easy and hopelessly joyful.

"We do not know anything yet," he said, though he had been saying all along that she shouldn't get her hopes up. "Wait and see. You never know."

She turned, pressed her nose against his chest. Her mind wandered helplessly, unable to be stopped, focussing deeply on her best friend.

_I am watching children in the playground. It is stupid of me to be here, but even the god Zeus gave into his weaknesses – in fact that is saying nothing, Zeus gave in to temptation practically every hour. I have always wanted children, but Axel and I both know that we cannot have children. My mind knows it – my heart yearns for something it can never have. It's always the way isn't it? Your heart always wants something it can never have. _

"_Mom, this is stupid." _

_Out the corner of my eye I see a mother and daughter and automatically I wince; mother's and daughter's have difficult relationships. It is hard for me to bond with my mothers. They expect their child to be sweet and cute and say stupid things, not to be able to talk the second they can form words. I remember when I seven; an advert on the television started the poem _Invictus, _and I was able to finish it. My parents looked at me in astonishment. I can't seem to help it. Sometimes it's just better to part ways with them and only see them for the occasional Christmas. _

_I hear the woman sigh. "Please Tari, just for ten minutes." I can tell by the tone of her voice that she is exhausted; can already tell her hair is done up as if she's in a hurry and her face pale. A single mother, surely. "I need to sit down." _

"_But playgrounds are for kids," the child whines. I finally look at them and – a bolt of electricity fizzes through my body. It is suddenly inexplicitly impossible to catch my breath, and I have to really force myself to remain calm. This child – she looks like an ordinary stuck up child, but there is something amazingly unique about her. You would never know it as a human, of course you wouldn't; perhaps as she grew older you would believe she is pretty, but nothing more than that. You would never know that she is part vampire. She has to be part vampire – she cannot already be a werewolf, I would know if she was a witch, and demons cannot have children. She should not exist. A child cannot be part vampire; I have lived longer than anyone should and I have never come across a vampire/human hybrid in my life. Impossible. Yet I am staring at the proof in front of my eyes. _

"_Can I help you?" I have been stupid, broken a cardinal rule; it is bad enough hanging round a playground, but staring at one child in particular is a definite no-no. I have missed the entire conversation and now the child is sulking on the swings and her mother is staring at me. _

"_I am sorry." I recover quickly; I have had years of practice. "Your daughter is adorable." _

_The mother exhales loudly. "She can be, but today she's a pain." The woman glances at the child. "She misses her father," she says, so soft I almost don't hear it. _

_I move my bag and she sits beside me. "Divorced?" _

_She shakes her head. "We never got down the aisle. I was...stupid." _

"_We are all stupid sometimes," I console. I glance back at the child. "Her father is the vampire." _

_She freezes; I can tell I've hit a sore spot. "Are you-"_

"_I pose no danger to you or your daughter whatsoever," I say calmly. "I am not a vampire. I am a demon." _

_Her eyes are afraid; I can tell she is thinking about taking her daughter and leaving. "Why do I not like the sound of that?" she says. _

"_Do not be worried," I assure her. "We are only named demons because we can change our physical appearance. For instance, I could change so that it would appear you were talking to a squirrel." _

"_What do you want from me?" _

_I cannot help but be surprised at her question. "I do not want anything from you, though I have to admit I am interested in how you managed to have a child with a vampire when that is impossible." _

_She gazes into my face as if she thinks she will see straight into my head – as if I would allow anyone except Axel that privilege. "You're not with – _him_?" _

_I am confused, and that is rare for me – I am a genius after all. "No," I say. The woman is nervous, and I do not want to scare her. "Who is this person?" _

_Her eyes flutter nervously. "How do I know I can trust you?" _

"_No one ever knows if they can trust a person," I answer. "But if you will believe anything I say, believe this: I do not have any agenda. I simply saw your daughter and was curious. Demons do not get involved in quarrels between vampires, witches etc. If her father is threatening you, I can help." _

"_It's not – it's complicated," she sighs. I can tell she wants to confide in me, but she's afraid to. To ease her fears I slowly reach over and squeeze her hand. "Please," I murmur. "I can help you."_

_That was the day that I first met Rebecca. Right from the first time we met it was about her daughter. In some ways it always was. I cannot hold it against her; any good mother always has her mind on her child. _

**xXx **

The blonde stared at Tari for a good ten seconds before turning to Liam. "This is your fault."

Liam didn't pretend to be offended; in fact he smirked. He couldn't help it. "I haven't said anything."

Sawyer went on as if he hadn't spoken. "I knew the two of you shouldn't have gone running together."

"You were the one who encouraged it!" Allen and Tari shushed him. They were near the school, excluded by a group of trees. They couldn't be seen by any authority figure at the moment, not if they were considering actually going through with it.

"God Liam's corrupted you," groaned Sawyer. Liam rolled his eyes but he was still smirking. _Of course Lee would find the idea of corrupting someone funny_. She turned to Tari. "This isn't you Tari! You're not the type of girl who skives school! We're not that type of kids – the ones that drink alcohol with their orange juice and are stoned throughout the day. Those are the type of kids that skive school, and _we're _not those kids."

"S, chill," Allen instructed. "We haven't done anything yet."

"Not that I mind skiving school – in fact," Liam mused, "it would be a good adventure. Something we haven't done before. Not that I'm bothered, but with Miss Perfect here..." He glanced over at his cousin who gave him the finger. "But why?"

She knew they would get to this point. She braced herself for the next set of questions when she replied, "I want to go back to see if – well, if the tower's still there."

Her friends stared at her; Liam visibly paled at the thought of going back there. "Why?" Allen asked. His own face was confused, his eyebrows scrunched together like a pair of caterpillars. "I thought it gave you the creeps."

"It did, but I just want to see if the legend is true." Tari hadn't slept all week; the dark circles under her eyes were becoming larger each day. This morning Tari woke up after only three or four hours of sleep before she finally decided that enough was enough. She couldn't wait until tomorrow; she had to see for herself. It was stupid, but if the tower was there in the daylight then it would prove that the legend was wrong, and if that was wrong that maybe everything else was wrong too.

"Can't we go tomorrow?" begged Sawyer. "Why do we have to do this today?"

"You don't have to come with me," Tari said. She did want them with her – in fact she was surprised at how much she wanted them with her – but she wasn't going to force them. Perhaps it would be easier to go alone. But Sawyer herself had been the one to say that she shouldn't go anywhere alone, and ever since her talk with Regina she had been on edge.

Allen and Liam exchanged a look and Liam looked to Sawyer. He sent her a look that Tari couldn't indentify – maybe she was simply too tired to even attempt it. The blonde dithered, shifting from one foot to the other. "Okay," she said finally, her voice etched with hesitance. "Let's go."

"Sawyer Brooke Scott, skipping school?" Liam put on a dramatic, almost mothering sigh. "Where did we go wrong?" Even Tari couldn't help but smile at that, Allen laughing.

Sawyer slapped him on the arm. "Jeez cuz," he said, rubbing his arm. "That hurt."

"Shut up Liam. This is serious." She glanced round as if there were a bunch of teachers hiding behind the bushes ready to leap out at them and give them detentions. "We need to be careful. If someone sees us-"

"We won't be seen," Liam said. "If it makes you feel any better we could hide out at the lagoon all day – I'll go get some food for us to eat."

The bell rang behind them. Tari glanced at Sawyer; her friend kept her gaze steady. She couldn't help but let her mind think _you owe me. _She had kept Sawyer's secret for months now – Sawyer at the very least owed her a favour. Tari would never say that out loud, would never force Sawyer to do something she didn't want to do; but it was there, an underlying theme in this discussion.

"Let's go," Sawyer repeated. She took Tari's hand and squeezed it, offering her smile which Tari returned.

It was strange but Tari had to admit, she felt...freer than she had been before. It was nine o'clock now, and she had to be back at the boarding house by four – until then her entire day was wide open, and she loved it.

They went through the forest, careful not to slip in the mud. "I wish you'd given us some more warning," Sawyer sighed, looking down almost mournfully at her favourite boots.

"What?" Liam scoffed before Tari could speak. "Given you time to worry over it? I don't know how you can handle vampires but freak out at the thought of ditching."

"In case you haven't noticed Lee, I _did_ freak out. Do you remember when we realised Tari had been taken by Caleb? I was terrified."

"And screaming our ears off," added Allen. "You should have seen her T, you would have-" He broke off when he realised Tari hadn't even heard him, but was staring straight ahead, knocking the branches down.

"Tari," he said, and finally the girl looked over. It was then Allen noted just how pale she truly was underneath her make-up. She was rushing ahead of them, clearly in a hurry. "Slow down."

She glanced from Allen to the other two who were staring at her. "Let's just get there, okay?"

It was difficult though; all trees naturally looked the same, not to mention that the last time they had found the tower in the dark. Tari had led the others where she thought the tower had been, but she couldn't see it. She wished that she had paid more attention to where it had been.

Seeing his friend's face droop, Allen said, "We should go back to the restaurant and retrace our footsteps from there."

"Yeah," Liam – the tactician – agreed.

"We'll be seen," fretted Sawyer.

But they went to the restaurant anyway, and made the way back that they did that night. They had to be going the right way; even Tari admitted that she was sure that this was the way they had come. They circled the area three times – the other three had been ready to call it quits by the second time, but at Tari's face they gave it another go.

None of them wanted to be the first to say that the tower was, quite simply, not there. Liam would be the first to admit that it scared him; despite his bravery over confronting Caleb he didn't like this. Vampires, witches, werewolves – they were somewhat exciting; there was obviously some science behind them. But a tower that disappeared during the day and reappeared at night? What on earth could explain that?

After a few conversations through glances Allen was elected to voice the words. They were all standing still, a little tired from walking at the fast pace. "T," he said, making sure his voice was gentle. "The tower's not here." Sawyer shot him a glance at being so blunt, but how the hell was he supposed to say it gently?

Face down, Tari said, "I know."

And then she began to run.

She could hear them calling behind her, but she didn't stop. She and Liam hadn't run last weekend because of the alcohol, and she was surprised to find that she missed it; what was even more surprising was how her body took to running, how easily to came back to her. She didn't have any clue to where she was going. Everywhere looked the same, especially how it blurred in her eyes. Or maybe that was the tears.

Sawyer had no hope of catching up to Tari, not in those shoes; Allen wasn't as fit either. But Liam had been running longer than she had, and was at the very least just as fit as she was, if not fitter. Though he would never have admitted it, it was difficult to catch up to her. It must have been the adrenalin. It took him a good three minutes to actually catch hold of her which, considering how they had set off almost at the same time and almost at the same place was quite a feat.

He grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her backwards. She jerked back, a little surprised. They stumbled; Tari would have fallen over if Liam hadn't grabbed hold of her, keeping her steady. "Tari," he gasped. His chest felt as if it was going to explode, and he had to fight to speak. "What the fuck?"

Tari didn't answer, her face turned away from him. At first Liam thought she was out of breath, but then he realised that it was something else. Without thinking he pulled her into his arms, quietly shushing her. When Sawyer and Allen arrived, Liam simply held his arm out and they joined them, Sawyer pushing her hair off her face and Allen rubbing her back. None of them moved, forming a circle round her as if a barrier protecting her from the world. Even though they weren't asking her what was wrong, weren't pestering her for an answer, she still couldn't voice the words. They stuck in her throat, words that she couldn't throw up.

_I think I'm going to die. _

**xXx **

_When she opens the door I am wasted out my mind. Of course I am – why else would I come back after we just broke up mere hours ago? But I cannot stay away; it's like I'm Eve and she's the snake, tempting me into sin again and again. _

"_Damon," she murmurs. Is she surprised? I cannot tell; her face already blurs. I get in, force myself in before she slams it in my face. _

"_You're right." I mean to snap it but it slurs in my mouth, like vile. "I am a murderer." _

_She closes her eyes. Does she fell guilty? A little hope flares in my chest – hope! How can I have hope now, when my heart was broken just hours ago? Why does my heart always insist on loving someone, even when love has killed it every time? But I do not focus on it. I won't let myself hope for long. "I'm sorry Damon. When I said that...I didn't mean it. I was just surprised-"_

"_Surprised? Why shouldn't you be? I play the part well, don't I? The good guy, the honest guy, Mr Perfect..." I pause. Fuck my head is already hurting. "What was I going to say?"_

_She stares at me, crossing her arms. She is wearing a grotty old red dressing gown, one I haven't ever seen her wear. "You're drunk." _

"_Of course I am." I go to sit on the chair and somehow end on the floor. "I have to live my life alone. Why not spend it drunk?" _

_Rebecca sits on the floor beside me. "You won't be alone forever Damon. You'll find some vampire girlfriend and be able to spend your entire life with her." _

_No I won't. Of course I won't. That would be perfect – and my life is anything but. _

"_What did I do wrong?" I mutter. "What was so bad?" I turn to face her, and I imagine I look like a little boy because she puts a hand on my cheek. I kiss her before I think about it. My actions are stupid. Hell I'm drunk; of course I don't know what I'm doing. _

_She tries to pull away, and in that second she makes me angry. I love Rebecca and I hate Rebecca. I want to be with her every second of every day and I want to never see her again. I want to love her but she won't let me – so I will have sex with her, meaningless sex. She doesn't want my love, she can have my sex. _

"_Damon, don't." I have a flashback of doing the same thing to Elena, and it only adds to my grief and anger. I push her against the kitchen cabinets; she cries out. I move down to her neck, and tear that ugly dressing gown off her body. She is utterly naked underneath it. I can see that she is almost afraid of it, trying to cover her body. But I don't let her. _

_Instead I pick her up – struggling – and throw her onto the bed. A bed not only a week ago she came to most willingly, a bed we made love in. _

_She doesn't want that part of me. _

"_Fuck you," she cries, pushing my hands on her body. Instantly they are back on her, on her hips as I push her back down. I kiss her, but they are angry kisses, almost nips, designed to hurt her. I don't bite her – even in my sadness and fury I can't do that to her. _

_She slaps me; I let her. "Fuck you," she hisses. I kiss her on the mouth, placing my hand between her legs. I begin to rub her cunt, making her move her head back. She loves it. I am surprised to find that I am beginning to love it too. I have always treated Rebecca like a beautiful woman, like a wife – but I won't think about that. I am now treating her like my whore, which is the way that she wants it. _

"_Fuck you," she says again, but this time it is not out of anger but out of lust. I lift my hand away and instead turn her on her stomach. She tries to turn round, and usually I would let her – but when I a man goes to a whore she has to do what he wants. I put my hands on her shoulders to keep her down. For a moment I stare at her body, her beautiful amazing body, her back a blank canvas. For the first time I want to bite it, to cause blood to spurt over it and change it forever. But even in this fit of rage I can't do that. _

_I plunge my dick into her. She screams – in pain? I imagine so. But she is my whore – why should I care? As we continue I know that she loves it, this wild crazy impatient sex – she is gripping the sheets of the bed, her groans becoming that of pleasure. That wasn't my intention. Yet can I really say I wanted to cause her pain? I don't think I could. I honestly don't think so. _

_She falls asleep quickly. I am not surprised. That sex was amazing. The best sex we have ever had. It still sends chills down my spine. I get up and leave without saying goodbye. After all, she's my whore. I throw down a bunch of twenties on the bed. _

_She made me feel worthless. I will make her feel like that too. _

He put the scotch glass to his head. He didn't want that memory. Yes he was furious at Rebecca – he had never felt anger like that before. He had wanted to make Rebecca feel like shit, and he supposed he succeeded. But what a horrid thing to succeed at.

He shook his head, as if he could force the memory out. He had enough to deal with right now. He had just been off the phone with Ric, who had revealed something unpleasant.

"Shouldn't you be busy teaching Ric?" Damon asked, pouring himself a glass of his best scotch.

"I've implemented quiet study time," said the teacher, "and I'm spending valuable teaching time talking to you."

"So it must be important."

"Is Tari at home with you today?"

Damon narrowed his gaze. He really didn't like where this was going. "No," he said, his voice not quite a groan. "Why?"

"She wasn't in school today," Alaric said.

"What?" Damon said. He felt his breath begin to race, his brain going too fast. Was it possible – no, oh God please no –

"Relax D," said Alaric. "Liam, Sawyer and Allen weren't in either. I don't think they would have been taken."

Damon felt himself begin to calm down. "Are you saying that she skipped school? Why the hell would she do that? Half the time she's persuading me to let her go. Remember during the storm? She refused to stay home."

"I don't think she's eager to learn Damon," Alaric said, standing. "I think that it's her friends. And if her friends want to skive school..."

"Then she will too," Damon finished through gritted teeth. "Damn it. I don't understand. Why should they want to skip school?"

"You'll have to ask her when she gets back," Alaric stand. "I have to go."

"Thanks Ric," Damon said gratefully. It was good to have someone on the inside to watch his daughter for moments like this. Now he sat on his chair, watching the foyer. It was nearly four now, and Tari – if she knew what was good for her – would be back soon. He wasn't going to let her sneak in. Thankfully the house was quiet: Caroline and Tyler were at a wine tasting for their wedding and had taken Stefan and Elena. They had invited Damon but he had declined; though Caroline had calmed down about the wedding talk (they had almost resorted to sedating her, they were that desperate) Damon knew the wine would make her natter on about it again. Besides, Damon had been looking forward to have a quiet evening with his daughter.

That idea went out the window.

Tari entered the house a second later, slamming the door shut. She saw Damon a second later. "Hey," she greeted him casually.

"Hey." He stood up and went towards her. She didn't wait for him, going upstairs to dump her bag and coat in her bedroom. He leant against the doorway. "How was school?"

She glanced at him quickly. "Fine," she answered before turning away.

"That's strange, because according to Ric you weren't there today." Tari froze, her back facing him. Damon was satisfied with that. "You want to explain?"

Slowly Tari turned round. "There isn't an explanation."

"How about a why? A reason you didn't go to school?"

Tari stayed quiet. There wasn't a reason, not really. She hadn't found the tower after all – skiving school had been stupid. It had been nice to talk to the others, even if it wasn't about her real fears. They had even laughed a little. She had just told them she was stressed, which was understandable. She couldn't tell them that she was scared that she was going to die. She had wanted to, but she couldn't. Couldn't voice those thoughts.

Damon sighed, running his hand through his raven dark hair. "Believe it or not, I don't care if you don't want to go to school. You're fourteen; it's not going to be life threatening if you miss it now and again. But if you're going to stay off school then you have to stay here. I'm not giving you permission to go out with your friends and skive school with them. Why don't you want to stay home, sleep in and make pancakes or whatever you want to do?" He sighed, staring at his daughter who seemed immovable. "I guess I just don't understand it."

Tari broke down. For the second time that day she burst into tears, unable to keep them in her body. Her chest shook with such intensity, her throat aching with almost painful cries. She cried because _I don't understand it either! _Suddenly everything was too much for her. It was like a huge tidal wave that had continued to rise and she had gotten too tired to run. She knew that she would be willing to run again one day, but right now she was willing to let the wave rush over her body.

The very second she had started crying Damon had rushed to her side. He lifted her into his arms and sat on the bed, rocking her gently. He had been a little amazed at how she had begun to cry so suddenly. He didn't understand why (one of many things he didn't understand today); it wasn't as if he was yelling at her. Nonetheless he held her in his arms, cuddling her close as if he could shield her from the pain she was feeling.

Something had upset her – and that made him want to strangle the person who had done it. At the moment he resisted the urge because his daughter's face was pressed into his chest. He was going to calm her down, and then he would kill whoever had hurt her.

Perhaps it was babyish to admit this, but she felt better once she was in Damon's arms. Safer – who could kill her when he was here? He rocked her, murmuring, "It's alright baby girl. It's okay, I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you," and rubbed her back.

It was when she had fallen asleep, exhausted he whispered, "Daddy's here. Daddy won't let anyone hurt you."

**xXx**

It was obvious that she was tired; she hadn't slept properly in days. That was why she turned so easily to tears. She couldn't remember exactly when she had cried herself to sleep, but when she woke up the room was smothered in darkness. She moved upwards, her throat aching sore. "Here," a voice said behind her said, and passed her a glass of water. Tari drank it greedily before handing it back and lying back down in the same position and instantly falling back asleep.

She didn't wake up again until the early hours of the morning. She felt Damon running his hand through her hair. In truth she had been on the brink of waking up for an hour or so, but she was content to doze. She didn't know how long she had slept – it must have been for at least twelve hours. She had needed it though; honestly, she didn't know how she had managed to keep going with this little sleep.

Tari moved to sit up and felt Damon's arm curl round her, pulling her close to him. His hand went to her chin, lifting it up so he could see her. She imagined that he would be able to see her even though she could only see the outline of his face. "You feel better?" he whispered.

"Yeah," murmured Tari. She leant against his chest, allowing her eyes to droop.

"Tari, what was that last night?" he asked. The girl gave a little groan, wishing they could talk about it when she was more awake.

"I'm sorry," she said.

She felt Damon cling to her a little harder, pulling her closer to him while shushing her. "Don't be sorry Tari; there's nothing to be sorry about sweetie." He stroked her face, cupping her chin in the palm of his hand. "But I need to know what upset you." _And then I am going to kill them. _

She couldn't help but sigh. "I was just stressed."

Damon let out a growl at her vague answer. "About what?"

"Everything," Tari said.

"You're fourteen," Damon said. "What could you possibly be stressed about?"

She sighed again, realising that she wasn't getting away from his questioning. "I've just been thinking about...dying."

She felt him constrict his arms round her, almost cutting off air. "Why the hell would you think about dying?" he asked. She could hear the tension in his voice. He began to rub her back soothingly, though in honesty he wanted someone to do it to him. The thought of her dying – he felt an inch of the pain he had when Rebecca had died, and he knew that it would be worse. If Tari died, he wouldn't be able to bear it; it would kill him. "You're not going to die. Your fourteen for God's sake – why the hell would you even think about dying?"

Tari shook her head into his chest. "I don't know, it's just... How the hell do you live with it? How does anyone live with it? Never knowing how long you might have to live."

Damon frowned into her hair. "You never know how long you might have live. I mean, you could walk out on the street and get hit by a bus – that's why I'm always yelling at you to watch where you're going," he said, though he gave her an affectionate kiss on the head to show he didn't mean it. "That's why you have to live the way you want. I don't mean that you should give up going to school and go on a road trip," he said quickly. He wanted to be specific – it would be just like Tari to interpret this conversation differently to how he meant it. "I just mean you shouldn't spend time worrying about little things like a bad grade or...whatever you worry about."

Tari was quiet for a moment. "So you're telling me to live every moment like it's my last?"

"Yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying." He twisted her hair round his fingers. "What brought this on anyway?"

"A scary film," said Tari, lying through her teeth.

Damon sighed. "I'm talking to Tyler – I told him not to let you watch that film."

Tari listened to Damon talk, his voice comforting in the background. She didn't really listen – now she was thinking about his earlier words. It made sense after all – she could die at any moment. And if she _did _die, she didn't want to think that she wasted time worrying about how and when and being careful. Who said she was going to die soon? Maybe it was years in the future – maybe it was when she was old, like fifty.

He was right. There was no point in worrying about it.

She sat up kissed him of the forehead. "Thank you," she said, her voice clear from sleep.

His nose nuzzled hers lovingly. "You're welcome."

**xXx **

"You look better," Allen said when Tari appeared by the lockers on Monday. Despite the fact it was the worst day of the week she was feeling better, her hair shiny and eyes bright. This weekend she had slept well during the night and eaten better. Damon had been keeping an eye on her which was starting to get annoying – but then he became distracted because they finally found the owner of the football table and it had to be sent back. He and Tyler had one last mourning game (Tyler won) before sending it down the road to its rightful owners.

"I am," she said, nodding as she leant opposite him. "Thank you though, for being so nice to me."

Allen held his hands up. "Hey, what are friends for?"

Suddenly her smile felt a little forced. "Friends," she repeated. The way he looked at her sometimes... She turned the thought away, not wanting to think about it. This was _Allen_; her warlock friend; the one who helped her with her chemistry homework and made her laugh. But there were moments –

_No_.

"T," he said, catching her attention. When she looked at him his eyes were dead on her face. It made her uncomfortable after what she had just been thinking about. "I wanted-"

"Hey guys," Liam said, appearing behind Tari as if by magic. When she jumped, startled, he laughed. "Jumpy much?"

"Ninja much?" she asked, mocking him.

He shrugged, his lips curving into a smile. "I can't help it if I'm good at sneaking around. You should learn not to be so startled all the time. Pay attention to your surroundings."

"Now you really are sounding like a ninja," said Tari. Allowing a smile to grace her face she turned to Allen. "New mission: scare Lee."

"Right," he said, straightening. Was it her imagination or did he seem a little slow on the uptake?

Hurriedly she said, "You and Sawyer will have to help me; you'll know what scares him."

"I'm right here y'know," Liam complained.

Tari turned her head and mimed being surprised; Allen laughed from behind her. "Jeez, you surprised me. It must have been your ninja skills."

Sawyer paused as she reached them, though she had previously been hurrying down the hallway. Her caramel brows creased together, looking between the three of them with rapid speed. "What did I miss?"

"Liam's a ninja," Allen informed her. Tari was pleased to see he looked more cheerful.

"And we're going to jump him the second we can," Tari added.

"Which isn't going to work, since I know the plan," said Liam.

Sawyer held her hands up, instantly quietening them. "You can brief me on this later! Tari, the secretary asked me to find you. There's a woman wanting to see you."

Instantly the air seemed thicker, harder to breathe. The words that Sawyer had said ruined the happy, joking mood that the other three had been in seconds earlier. Tari almost wished she could turn back time, right when she was in bed and Damon came to wake her up. He had said to her, jokingly, _"So what are we thinking? You want to sleep in and I'll make pancakes?" _Tari had declined, naturally; she wanted to see her friends and besides, now that she knew she could make the decision herself – that she _could _say no – she felt that she had to be responsible. Maybe that was Damon's intention all along.

"Don't go," Liam said after a few moments. "It's not as if you even have the box."

Tari shook her head. "I have to go. I won't be able to avoid her forever, and I'd rather see her now then be caught alone."

"We'll go with you," Allen suggested, but again Tari shook her head.

"She won't talk with you lot present. The teachers would stop you anyway." She did her best to smile. It wasn't as if Regina had harmed her, and Tari doubted that she would now.

Sawyer squeezed her hand. "Leave your phone on. If we don't see you at break and don't hear from you we'll let out a warning."

"Yeah, 'cause the teachers are really going to be helpful."

The trio looked surprised. "Do you honestly think we'd go get help from the teachers?" Liam scoffed.

"We were actually thinking that we'd call your dad," Allen pointed out.

"And then he'd bring his vampire friends and the werewolf," Sawyer said. She couldn't help but smile when she said that sentence, and Tari knew what she was thinking: a sentence she never thought she'd say.

"And I'd get my mom to help," said Allen, somewhat shyly.

Tari grinned at them all. "Thanks, but I'll be _fine_."

She wished her heartbeat didn't contradict her.

Regina was in the same spot that she had been when Tari first met her. Without a word they moved into the dining room. The bell rang and students were rushing to their classes, which meant that after a few minutes they had relative silence.

"You did not call me," Regina said. There was a hint of disapproval in her voice.

_That's because I was trying to forget about you_, Tari thought, almost angry. _I was trying to pretend I was a normal teenager. A vain hope I know, but I still wanted to try. _"I didn't find it," Tari said, her voice a whisper.

Regina closed her eyes as if Tari had announced that her life partner had died. "Just as I feared," she murmured. "It means that they must have it. If they have figured out the combination then we are in trouble."

Goosebumps appeared on Tari's arm. The way Regina spoke it sounded like they were about to be attacked any moment. "But they won't have, will they?" Tari asked weakly.

"They might have, but it would have taken them a long time," Regina said.

"You know the combination?"

"Yes," she replied. "Your mother told me. I am sorry but I daren't tell you – if the wrong person was listening... I would only tell you if I knew you had the box." She leant forward almost desperately. "Are you sure you looked through all your mother's belongings? You looked through everything?"

"Yes," Tari said, thinking back to when she went back with Damon to her home – her apartment. Her breath caught in her throat suddenly; Regina's face showed that she had noticed it. "Oh God," she whispered, realisation hitting her like an avalanche.

"What is it?" Regina said. Her voice was short and snappy with impatience.

Her mouth moved but no words came out. _Calm Nefertari_, she thought, though they had little effect. "When I went to the apartment to pick up my things for the move...we'd been robbed."

Regina's face was indifferent, though her shock was shown by fact she went a shade paler. She closed her eyes. "They have it," she said with devastating resignation. "There is no doubt."

_Rebecca looks unnatural sitting on the prim pink sofa. I will admit that it isn't my taste, but Axel seemed to adore it. I love him so I allowed him to have his way. Whoever said that women were more sentimental than men? _

_She looks at me with the determination of a woman whose life depends on it. "Show me," she commands. _

_To my surprise I find myself yielding to her command. I lift the notes out that I made months before, showing her them once again. "You can see the adjustments I made are in red pen," I say, pointing them out. "Axel's additions are in green." _

_Rebecca looks over them, though her eyes don't take them in. "I don't understand most of it," she admitted. "But as long as you do, that's the main thing." When she lifts her eyes up to me there are still determined, but there is a tone of desperation too. "Will it work?" _

_I sigh, seating myself next to her. "I do not know. I told you before Rebecca, I could not predict whether it would work. This is the first time someone has tried to create one of these things. It may not work, but know this: this is the work of two demons. We have slaved over it. It is our best hope. I cannot imagine anyone else doing it better." _

_Rebecca keeps her eyes on the information, as if to reassure herself. "When will it be ready?" she asks me. _

"_A year." At her expression I say quickly, "It has to be done carefully Rebecca. Rush it and we may make mistakes." _

_Her voice, when she answers, is filled with fear. "But it may be too late by then." _

"_I know." I reach over and grip her hand. "But it is the best we've got."_

If Tari had been scared before, she was positively terrified now. Whoever these people were, they had been in her _house_. If she had been in there – Tari didn't even want to think about it. But they had the red leather box, the thing that seemed so important to Regina. That couldn't be good.

"This is the worst thing that could have possibly happened," she said. Her eyes were lost in somewhere – the future maybe? The past? Tari didn't dare wake her from her thoughts. Her head snapped to Tari suddenly, causing the girl to flinch away from her. "I'm afraid there is nothing I can do for you, save to give you this." She handed Tari a little glass bottle. There was some sea-foam green substance inside it that looked like shampoo. "It's a potion. Drink it and you will be able to sneak away silently from anyone, provided that you don't attract attention to yourself or if you're not being watched. It's not a brilliant potion, but it is the best that I could do. Make sure to carry it with you at all times. You will only be able to use it approximately three times. Be sure to save it."

Tari nodded, sensing the seriousness of her tone. Regina sighed, turning her head. "I am so sorry I cannot do anything more for you."

"Thank you," she said. For the potion anyway. She wasn't sure how she felt about the rest; after all, Regina had caused her many sleepless nights. It wasn't Regina's fault; but sometimes it was better not knowing.

"Don't thank me," Regina said, standing abruptly. Tari blinked; apparently their conversation was over. She had expected it to be a lot longer than this. "Good luck Tari. Know that I might be closer than you think." At Tari's bemused expression she smiled softly. "Another ability of a demon is to change our appearance into any animal we wish. I was watching you long before you knew."

"Regina," Tari called out as the woman began to walk away. When she turned round, the girl said, "Please, tell me who I am supposed to be fighting?"

"I have said too much already." Regina looked mournful, as if she was already at a funeral. "Forget what you know child, and live. Who knows – maybe things will change."

Before Tari could ask any more questions, she walked away.

**xXx **

Tari was lying on her bed, trying to keep her mind off what Regina had said. Once again she could feel the terror covering her, like a blanket that was thrown over her body. She didn't want to be afraid of the future, but it was getting damn hard not to be when someone wished her good luck, when someone told her she may die.

It wasn't the fear of dying, per se. It was who might want her; what they might do to her. Tari didn't understand why anyone would want to kill her. The only reason Tari could think of was...well, Damon. But even then, why go after her mother? Assuming that the same person who wanted her dead killed her mother.

She tried to remember the accident, but it was all a blur. What drove Tari crazy was that she couldn't remember _how _the car had ended up in the water. One minute they were driving happily towards the boarding house – the next the car was sinking in the water and Tari was fighting for air. She couldn't remember seeing her mother as the water filled with car. She didn't know what had happened to her.

_My head hurts_, Tari thought, throwing a pillow over her head. It was killing her, thinking about all this. She was so confused... She didn't even know what she was afraid of.

Right now she wanted her mother.

"Tari!" Damon's voice boomed through the house. "Dinner!"

She could already hearing them arguing before she entered the kitchen. "All I'm saying is that one day you're going to be amazed over my cooking," Elena said.

"That really will be an amazing day," Damon scoffed. He scooped pasta into a bowl and poured the thick orange sauce over it. The smell was so overwhelmingly good that Tari breathed in deeply. Definitely not Elena's cooking.

"I was also thinking I might take a painting class," Elena said as she took her seat on the stool.

"Where is it?" asked Stefan.

"The community centre," Elena answered. "There's the February Art Fair after all; I might enter something."

"Don't," Damon said as he began to mop up some spilled over sauce. "That means I'll have to go."

"We're founders Damon," Stefan said with a teasing tone. "We have to make an appearance at these things."

"Sometimes it would be nice not to be a nobody," grumbled Damon. He lifted his head, about to call again when he saw her standing in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow questioningly at her before saying, "It's okay, Elena hasn't cooked."

"Funny," Elena said. Tari moved towards them, suddenly gripped by the thought that perhaps this might be taken away from her. Sitting at the table with her aunt, uncle and father – and sometimes Caroline and Tyler, and sometimes Ric. This life, the new life she had made for herself when she thought that she could never live again – it might all been snatched away from her. It was okay if someone wanted to hurt her, to kill her – but it was even crueller to take them away first; not when she had already lost her mother.

_I'll fight. I'll fight for this. _

**xXx **

**I must admit I've enjoyed writing the characters of Regina and Axel, especially when they were together. I don't know, I liked them as a couple, though I don't think I'll be writing about them, at least not very much. **

**Also I want to know what you thought about mean Damon i.e. in the past with Rebecca. Was he too tough? **

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	21. IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ

**IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ **

**I just want readers to know that I am ****NOT**** giving up on this story. (****NO WAY IN HELL****.) But unfortunately – once again – I have lost inspiration. More than that, it's difficult to write a multi-chapter story when I'm at university. I'm amazingly busy at the moment, and I kinda have writers' block. Also I have to write stuff for my Writer's Society, and I haven't got much inspiration for that.**

**Anyway, please be patient. I still have big plans for this story and I WILL NOT LET IT GO. But I'm busy, so it may take a while. I don't know when (maybe Xmas?) I'll be able to write more of it again, but I hope that you will still be interested when I finally get back into it.**

**Don't worry about me giving up. Truth? As much as I love the reviews (honestly, I really and truly do; they mean so much to me) I realised a long time ago that I'm writing this particular story for myself. I will finish it, even if it kills me; even if it takes me forever.**

**Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for your patience.**


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